Dynamic management of expandable cache storage for multiple network shares configured in a file server

ABSTRACT

Expandable cache management dynamically manages cache storage for multiple network shares configured in a file server. Once a file is written to a directory or folder on a specially designated network share, such as one that is configured for “infinite backup,” an intermediary pre-backup copy of the file is created in an expandable cache in the file server that hosts the network share. On write operations, cache storage space can be dynamically expanded or freed up by pruning previously backed up data. This advantageously creates flexible storage caches in the file server for each network share, each cache managed independently of other like caches for other network shares on the same file server. On read operations, intermediary file storage in the expandable cache gives client computing devices speedy access to data targeted for backup, which is generally quicker than restoring files from backed up secondary copies.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/361,417, filed on 12 Jul. 2016, and entitled “DynamicManagement of Expandable Cache Storage for Multiple Network SharesConfigured in a File Server” (attorney docket no. COMMV.283PR2). Any andall applications, if any, for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet of the present applicationare hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties under 37 CFR1.57.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentand/or the patent disclosure as it appears in the United States Patentand Trademark Office patent file and/or records, but otherwise reservesall copyrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

Businesses recognize the commercial value of their data and seekreliable, cost-effective ways to protect the information stored on theircomputer networks while minimizing impact on productivity. A companymight back up critical computing systems such as databases, fileservers, web servers, virtual machines, and so on as part of a daily,weekly, or monthly maintenance schedule. The company may similarlyprotect computing systems used by its employees, such as those used byan accounting department, marketing department, engineering department,and so forth. Given the rapidly expanding volume of data undermanagement, companies also continue to seek innovative techniques formanaging data growth, for example by migrating data to lower-coststorage over time, reducing redundant data, pruning lower priority data,etc. Enterprises also increasingly view their stored data as a valuableasset and look for solutions that not only protect and manage, but alsoleverage their data. For instance, data analysis capabilities,information management, improved data presentation and access features,and the like, are in increasing demand.

SUMMARY

Expandable cache management dynamically manages cache storage formultiple network shares configured in a file server. Once a file iswritten to a directory or folder on a specially designated networkshare, such as one that is configured for “infinite backup,” anintermediary pre-backup copy of the file is created in an expandablecache in the file server that hosts the network share. On writeoperations, cache storage space can be dynamically expanded or freed upby pruning previously backed up data. This advantageously createsflexible storage caches in the file server for each network share, eachcache managed independently of other like caches for other networkshares on the same file server. On read operations, intermediary filestorage in the expandable cache gives client computing devices speedyaccess to data targeted for backup, which is generally quicker thanrestoring files from backed up secondary copies. On read operations,cache storage space can be dynamically expanded or freed up by pruningpreviously backed up data to make room for restored files.

The illustrative system architecture not only provides intermediary filestorage enabling client computing devices to have speedy access to datatargeted for backup, much quicker than restoring files from secondarycopies, and moreover does so expandably by increasing as needed theamount of storage space available on the file server for theintermediary copies. Likewise, cache storage can be expanded on restoreoperations in response to read requests. This approach advantageouslycreates flexible storage caches in the file server for each networkshare (a “network-share-specific” cache), each cache managedindependently of other like caches for other network shares on the samefile server. Each network-share-specific cache logically comprises anynumber of share-specific folders configured in and distributed amongstany number of respective storage volumes that are present in the fileserver. Thus, each network share has expandable cache storage configuredin one or more storage volumes. For example, a volume group comprising aplurality of storage volumes is illustratively created in the fileserver—the volume group forming the initial basis for expandable storagein the file server. Some of these storage volumes, though included inthe volume group, are initially left unused until needed to expand thestorage space for one or more network shares. When more cache storage isneeded for a particular network share, a new share-specific folder iscreated in a previously unused volume, thus expanding the amount ofstorage available to that particular network share. When a certainhigh-water mark is reached measuring the amount of cache storageoccupied by a given network share and/or when none of the availablestorage volumes have sufficient additional storage available, pruning isinitiated to free up space for the particular network share. However,the pruning is limited to the contents of existingnetwork-share-specific folders (i.e., does not cross over into cachestorage occupied by another network share) and only data that hasalready been backed up to secondary storage may be pruned to free upspace in this manner. This approach enables the network shares tooperate mutually independently. Each network share operates under itsown high-water marks and administrative criteria, i.e., each oneoperates under a distinct and independent object store.

An illustrative system supports multiple independently operating networkshares, while taking advantage of shared storage opportunities in thevolume group which is configured on a given file server. For example,any given storage volume may host share-specific folders for severalrespective network shares. Because each network-share-specific folder ismanaged under the umbrella of its own associated network share, theseco-resident folders do not interact. For example, afirst-network-share-specific folder on a first storage volume may growor may be added in to provide the first network share with more cachestorage, while on the same first storage volume anothersecond-network-share-specific folder may be pruned to free up cachestorage for the second network share; conversely, thesecond-network-share-specific folder may also grow or may be added in toprovide the second network share with additional cache storage.

An illustrative share-specific object store is responsible for managingthe expandable cache storage for each respective network share and isalso responsible to conduct backup and restore operations to/fromsecondary storage for the data placed in cache. Illustratively, backupsof cached data occur periodically, e.g., as directed by a storagemanager, although the cached data remains in the network-share-specificcache until pruned therefrom. On read operations directed to a givennetwork share, the share-specific object store first attempts to servethe read request from cached data in the expandable cache storage of thenetwork share and if need be retrieves read-requested data fromsecondary storage. Thus, a file that is “read” from the network sharemay comprise portions (e.g., chunks) that are extracted from theshare-specific cache as well as other portions restored from a secondarycopy in secondary storage outside the file server (e.g., read fromtape). These sources and/or procedures are not visible to the end userwho requested to read the file, and instead the read is servedtransparently by the network-share-specific object store to therequesting client computing device. A backup interface module and arestore interface module in the object store collectively operate as adata agent in regard to backup and restore operations to/from secondarystorage. An illustrative cache manager module, which is alsonetwork-share-specific, handles storage to and retrieval fromnetwork-share-specific cache storage in the file server—without regardto how other network-share-specific caches are managed by otherrespective cache managers. For example, the network-share-specific cachemanager receives portions of a file to be written (e.g., uniquelyidentified chunks), determines which storage volume has anetwork-share-specific folder with sufficient space to accommodate therespective chunk, determines whether a previously unused volume shouldbe configured with a network-share-specific folder in order to expandthe cache storage for the given network share, and/or determines whetherpruning of cached data is needed to free up space for storing the fileportion(s)—and then stores the chunk to an appropriatenetwork-share-specific folder in an appropriate storage volume,retaining the chunk-to-volume mapping for future reference. On readoperations, the network-share-specific cache manager determines whethera certain requested chunk is stored in and can be served from thenetwork-share-specific cache.

The illustrative object store architecture is, as noted above, specificto each network share configured on a file server and object storesoperate autonomously and mutually independently of each other on thesame file server. Each object store provides expandable cache storagefor the associated network share, manages the cache storage, and alsoprovides for backup to and restore from secondary storage in a mannerthat is not visible to the client computing device using the networkshare. From the perspective of the client computing device and its user,data that is stored to a certain network share is automatically backedup in an “infinite backup” scheme and also is speedily available whenneeded from the network share (extracted from cache). For any givenshare-specific object store, a so-called “glue layer” module providesinterconnections among other object store components such as the cachemanager, a backup interface module, a restore interface module, as wellas non-object-store components such as a data protocol handler and anindex server.

The present expandable cache approach overcomes an existing problemfaced by data center operators, namely that some file systems do notsupport real-time expansion of an existing storage volume. Therefore, ifa network share needs to grow, a maintenance take-down may be required.To expand the amount of storage space for such a file system wouldrequire a temporary shut down and reconfiguration while a larger volumeis configured and/or installed on the file server, followed byrestarting the file system. This naturally would cause applications thatdepend on the file system to also pause or suspend while the volumeexpansion is implemented. This kind of scenario is undesirable becauseit is disruptive and time-consuming, but also because it is noticeableto the user community. It is preferable expand storage flexibly and asneeded in a manner that is independent of the particular type filesystem and not visible to users. The illustrative system describedherein provides such a solution, by providing real-time expansion oflocal cache storage for any number of different network shares, each oneoperating under different storage and expansion constraints. Byproviding any-to-any share-to-volume cache storage according to theillustrative embodiment, more flexibility and expandability can beprovided within a single file server. Not only can each network shareoperate and expand independently of other network shares on the samefile server, but the solution is also independent of the type of filesystem(s) accessing the respective shares and is not visible to endusers or to the client computing devices accessing the network shares.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary informationmanagement system.

FIG. 1B is a detailed view of a primary storage device, a secondarystorage device, and some examples of primary data and secondary copydata.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of an exemplary information management systemincluding a storage manager, one or more data agents, and one or moremedia agents.

FIG. 1D is a block diagram illustrating a scalable informationmanagement system.

FIG. 1E illustrates certain secondary copy operations according to anexemplary storage policy.

FIGS. 1F-1H are block diagrams illustrating suitable data structuresthat may be employed by the information management system.

FIG. 2A illustrates a system and technique for synchronizing primarydata to a destination such as a failover site using secondary copy data.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of an example of a highly scalable manageddata pool architecture.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system forfacilitating infinite backup operations across computing platforms,according to an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrative of one embodiment of generatingnetwork path information for a client device.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrative of one embodiment of performing aninfinite backup operation based on network path information.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative example of performing an infinite backupoperation.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram providing a logical network-share view from auser's perspective of an illustrative system 700 for dynamicallymanaging cache storage for multiple network shares configured in a fileserver.

FIG. 7B is a block diagram of an illustrative implementation ofnetwork-share-specific cache and cache management in system 700 usingobject store and expandable cache storage architectures.

FIG. 8A is a block diagram depicting illustrative detail of an objectstore for a network-share configured on a file server in system 700.

FIG. 8B is a block diagram depicting illustrative detail of anexpandable cache storage implementation on a file server in system 700.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram depicting illustrative method 900 forinstallation and initialization operations for system 700.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram depicting illustrative method 1000 forhandling certain write and backup operations in system 700.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram depicting illustrative method 1100 forhandling certain read and restore operations in system 700.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram depicting some salient operations of block1004 in method 1000.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram depicting some salient operations of block1208 in method 1000.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram depicting some salient operations of block1110 in method 1100.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An illustrative “expandable cache management” feature is described infurther detail with reference to FIGS. 7A-14 and in sections “DYNAMICMANAGEMENT OF EXPANDABLE CACHE STORAGE FOR MULTIPLE NETWORK SHARESCONFIGURED IN A FILE SERVER” and “Example Embodiments.”

In regard to other previously disclosed technologies informally referredto as “infinite backup” (see, e.g., U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/283,033, entitled “Data Protection Operations Based On Network PathInformation” which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein),systems and methods for performing improved data protection operationsbased on standard file system protocols are described in reference toFIGS. 3-6 and in the sections entitled “Overview of Infinite BackupUsing Network File System (NFS) Protocol”, “An Exemplary System forImplementing Improved Backup Process”, “An Example Flow DiagramIllustrating Network Path Information Generation Process”, “An ExampleFlow Diagram Illustrating Client Data Backup Process”, and “AnIllustrative Example of NFS Backup Operation”. Components andfunctionality for performing improved data protection operations basedon standard file system protocols may be configured and/or incorporatedinto information management systems such as those described herein inFIGS. 1 and 2. Some embodiments described herein can be implemented in a“3-way” information management system (e.g., illustrated in FIG. 1C) inwhich a data agent (e.g., running on a client computing device), astorage manager, and a media agent (e.g., running on a secondary storagecomputing device) communicate with each other to facilitate dataprotection operations associated with a client computing device. Someother embodiments described herein (e.g., systems and methods describedwith reference to FIGS. 3-6) may be implemented in a system having adifferent “two-way” architecture, in which the data agent resides in thesecondary storage subsystem, such as where a storage managercommunicates with a combined data/media agent. By moving specializedsoftware associated with the information management system such as thedata agent off the client computing devices, such an architectureeffectively decouples the client computing devices from the installedcomponents of the information management system, improving bothscalability and plug-ability of the information management system.Indeed, the secondary storage subsystem in such environments can betreated simply as a read/write NFS target for the primary storagesubsystem, without the need for information management software to beinstalled on the client computing device. As one example, an enterpriseimplementing a cloud production computing environment can add virtualmachine (VM) client computing devices without installing and configuringspecialized information management software on the newly added machines.Rather, backups and restores are achieved transparently, where the newVMs simply write to and read from the designated NFS path. An example ofintegrating with the cloud using file system protocols or so-called“infinite backup” using NFS share. An illustrative “infinite backup”feature allows improved data protection operations to be performedwithout being constrained by a fixed backup window or otherstorage/timing restrictions. For example, applications running on theclient computing devices can be configured to simply copy client dataover to shared network directories or folder instead of having to followother more restrictive and cumbersome backup procedures.

Information Management System Overview

FIG. 1A shows an information management system 100 (or “system 100”),which generally includes combinations of hardware and softwareconfigured to protect and manage data and metadata that are generatedand used by computing devices in system 100. System 100 may be referredto in some embodiments as a “storage management system” and theoperations it performs may be referred to as “information managementoperations” or “storage operations” in some circumstances. Theorganization that employs system 100 may be a corporation or otherbusiness entity, non-profit organization, educational institution,household, governmental agency, or the like.

Generally, the systems and associated components described herein may becompatible with and/or provide some or all of the functionality of thesystems and corresponding components described in one or more of thefollowing U.S. patents and patent application publications assigned toCommvault Systems, Inc., each of which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety herein:

-   -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,880, entitled “Modular Backup and Retrieval        System Used in Conjunction With a Storage Area Network”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,298, entitled “System And Method For        Archiving Objects In An Information Store”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,207, entitled “System and Method for        Dynamically Performing Storage Operations in a Computer        Network”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,315,923, entitled “System And Method For        Combining Data Streams In Pipelined Storage Operations In A        Storage Network”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, entitled “Hierarchical Systems and        Methods for Providing a Unified View of Storage Information”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,395,282, entitled “Hierarchical Backup and        Retrieval System”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,529,782, entitled “System and Methods for        Performing a Snapshot and for Restoring Data”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,262, entitled “System and Methods for        Monitoring Application Data in a Data Replication System”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,734,669, entitled “Managing Copies Of Data”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,747,579, entitled “Metabase for Facilitating        Data Classification”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,156,086, entitled “Systems And Methods For        Stored Data Verification”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,170,995, entitled “Method and System for Offline        Indexing of Content and Classifying Stored Data”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,230,195, entitled “System And Method For        Performing Auxiliary Storage Operations”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,285,681, entitled “Data Object Store and Server        for a Cloud Storage Environment, Including Data Deduplication        and Data Management Across Multiple Cloud Storage Sites”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,307,177, entitled “Systems And Methods For        Management Of Virtualization Data”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,364,652, entitled “Content-Aligned, Block-Based        Deduplication”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,578,120, entitled “Block-Level Single        Instancing”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 8,954,446, entitled “Client-Side Repository in a        Networked Deduplicated Storage System”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 9,020,900, entitled “Distributed Deduplicated        Storage System”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 9,098,495, entitled “Application-Aware and Remote        Single Instance Data Management”;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 9,239,687, entitled “Systems and Methods for        Retaining and Using Data Block Signatures in Data Protection        Operations”;    -   U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2006/0224846, entitled “System and Method to        Support Single Instance Storage Operations”;    -   U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2014/0201170, entitled “High Availability        Distributed Deduplicated Storage System”;    -   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/721,971, entitled        “Replication Using Deduplicated Secondary Copy Data”;    -   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/283,033, entitled “Data        Protection Operations Based On Network Path Information”;    -   U.S. Patent Application No. 62/265,339 entitled “Live        Synchronization and Management of Virtual Machines across        Computing and Virtualization Platforms and Using Live        Synchronization to Support Disaster Recovery”; and    -   U.S. Patent Application No. 62/273,286 entitled “Redundant and        Robust Distributed Deduplication Data Storage System”;    -   U.S. Patent Application No. 62/294,920, entitled “Data        Protection Operations Based on Network Path Information”        (applicant docket no. 100.497.USP1.105; attorney docket no.        COMMV.283PR);    -   U.S. Patent Application No. 62/297,057, entitled “Data        Restoration Operations Based on Network Path Information”        (applicant docket no. 100.498.USP1.105; attorney docket no.        COMMV.284PR); and    -   U.S. Patent Application No. 62/387,384, entitled        “Application-Level Live Synchronization Across Computing        Platforms Including Synchronizing Co-Resident Applications To        Disparate Standby Destinations And Selectively Synchronizing        Some Applications And Not Others” (applicant docket no.        100.500.USP1.105; attorney docket no. COMMV.286PR).

Information management system 100 can include a variety of computingdevices and computing technologies. For instance, system 100 can includeone or more client computing devices 102 and secondary storage computingdevices 106, as well as storage manager 140 or a host computing devicefor it. Computing devices can include, without limitation, one or more:workstations, personal computers, desktop computers, or other types ofgenerally fixed computing systems such as mainframe computers, servers,and minicomputers. Other computing devices can include mobile orportable computing devices, such as one or more laptops, tabletcomputers, personal data assistants, mobile phones (such assmartphones), and other mobile or portable computing devices such asembedded computers, set top boxes, vehicle-mounted devices, wearablecomputers, etc. Servers can include mail servers, file servers, databaseservers, and web servers. Computing devices may comprise one or moreprocessors (e.g., CPU and/or single-core or multi-core processors), aswell as non-transitory computer-readable memory (e.g., random-accessmemory (RAM)) for storing computer programs to be executed by the one ormore processors. Other computer-readable memory for mass storage of datamay be packaged/configured with the computing device (e.g., an internalhard disk) and/or may be external and accessible by the computing device(e.g., network-attached storage).

In some cases, a computing device includes cloud computing resources,which may be virtual machines. For instance, one or more virtualmachines may be provided to the organization by a third-party cloudservice vendor. In some embodiments, computing devices can include oneor more virtual machine(s) running on a physical host computing device(or “host machine”) operated by the organization. As one example, theorganization may use one virtual machine as a database server andanother virtual machine as a mail server, both virtual machinesoperating on the same host machine.

A virtual machine includes an operating system and associated virtualresources, and is hosted simultaneously with another operating system ona physical host computer (or host machine). A hypervisor (typicallysoftware, and also known in the art as a virtual machine monitor or avirtual machine manager or “VMM”) sits between the virtual machine andthe hardware of the physical host machine. Examples of hypervisors asvirtualization software include ESX Server, by VMware, Inc. of PaloAlto, Calif.; Microsoft Virtual Server and Microsoft Windows ServerHyper-V, both by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.; and Sun xVM byOracle America Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif. In some embodiments, thehypervisor may be firmware or hardware or a combination of softwareand/or firmware and/or hardware. The hypervisor provides resources toeach virtual operating system such as a virtual processor, virtualmemory, a virtual network device, and a virtual disk. Each virtualmachine has one or more virtual disks. The hypervisor typically storesthe data of virtual disks in files on the file system of the physicalhost machine, called virtual machine disk files (in VMware lingo) orvirtual hard disk image files (in Microsoft lingo). For example,VMware's ESX Server provides the Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) forthe storage of virtual machine disk files. A virtual machine reads datafrom and writes data to its virtual disk much the way that a physicalmachine reads data from and writes data to a physical disk. Examples oftechniques for implementing information management in a cloud computingenvironment are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,285,681. Examples oftechniques for implementing information management in a virtualizedcomputing environment are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,307,177.

Information management system 100 can also include a variety ofelectronic data storage devices, generally used for mass storage ofdata, including, e.g., primary storage devices 104 and secondary storagedevices 108. Storage devices can generally be of any suitable typeincluding, without limitation, disk drives, storage arrays (e.g.,storage-area network (SAN) and/or network-attached storage (NAS)technology), semiconductor memory (e.g., solid state storage devices),network attached storage (NAS) devices, tape libraries or othermagnetic, non-tape storage devices, optical media storage devices,DNA/RNA-based memory technology, combinations of the same, etc. In someembodiments, storage devices can form part of a distributed file system.In some cases, storage devices are provided in a cloud storageenvironment (e.g., a private cloud or one operated by a third-partyvendor), whether for primary data or secondary copies or both.

Depending on context, the term “information management system” can referto generally all of the illustrated hardware and software components inFIG. 1C, or the term may refer to only a subset of the illustratedcomponents. For instance, in some cases, system 100 generally refers toa combination of specialized components used to protect, move, manage,manipulate, analyze, and/or process data and metadata generated byclient computing devices 102. However, system 100 in some cases does notinclude the underlying components that generate and/or store primarydata 112, such as the client computing devices 102 themselves, and theprimary storage devices 104. Likewise secondary storage devices 108(e.g., a third-party provided cloud storage environment) may not be partof system 100. As an example, “information management system” maysometimes refer to one or more of the following components, which willbe described in further detail below: storage manager, data agent, andmedia agent.

Information management system 100 includes one or more client computingdevices 102 having an operating system and at least one application 110executing thereon; and one or more primary storage devices 104 storingprimary data 112. Client computing device(s) 102 and primary storagedevices 104 may generally be referred to in some cases as primarystorage subsystem 117.

Client Computing Devices, Clients, and Subclients

Typically, a variety of sources in an organization produce data to beprotected and managed. As just one illustrative example, in a corporateenvironment such data sources can be employee workstations and companyservers such as a mail server, a web server, a database server, atransaction server, or the like. In system 100, data generation sourcesinclude one or more client computing devices 102. A computing devicethat has a data agent 142 installed and operating on it is generallyreferred to as a “client computing device” 102, and may include any typeof computing device, without limitation. A client computing device 102may be associated with one or more users and/or user accounts.

A “client” is a logical component of information management system 100,which may represent a logical grouping of one or more data agentsinstalled on a client computing device 102. Storage manager 140recognizes a client as a component of system 100, and in someembodiments, may automatically create a client component the first timea data agent 142 is installed on a client computing device 102. Becausedata generated by executable component(s) 110 is tracked by theassociated data agent 142 so that it may be properly protected in system100, a client may be said to generate data and to store the generateddata to primary storage, such as primary storage device 104. However,the terms “client” and “client computing device” as used herein do notimply that a client computing device 102 is necessarily configured inthe client/server sense relative to another computing device such as amail server, or that a client computing device 102 cannot be a server inits own right. As just a few examples, a client computing device 102 canbe and/or include mail servers, file servers, database servers, and webservers.

Each client computing device 102 may have application(s) 110 executingthereon which generate and manipulate the data that is to be protectedfrom loss and managed in system 100. Applications 110 generallyfacilitate the operations of an organization, and can include, withoutlimitation, mail server applications (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Server),file server applications, mail client applications (e.g., MicrosoftExchange Client), database applications or database management systems(e.g., SQL, Oracle, SAP, Lotus Notes Database), word processingapplications (e.g., Microsoft Word), spreadsheet applications, financialapplications, presentation applications, graphics and/or videoapplications, browser applications, mobile applications, entertainmentapplications, and so on. Each application 110 may be accompanied by anapplication-specific data agent 142. A file system, e.g., MicrosoftWindows Explorer, may be considered an application 110 and may beaccompanied by its own data agent 142. Client computing devices 102 canhave at least one operating system (e.g., Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X,iOS, IBM z/OS, Linux, other Unix-based operating systems, etc.)installed thereon, which may support or host one or more file systemsand other applications 110. In some embodiments, a virtual machine thatexecutes on a host client computing device 102 may be considered anapplication 110 and may be accompanied by a specific data agent 142(e.g., virtual server data agent).

Client computing devices 102 and other components in system 100 can beconnected to one another via one or more electronic communicationpathways 114. For example, a first communication pathway 114 maycommunicatively couple client computing device 102 and secondary storagecomputing device 106; a second communication pathway 114 maycommunicatively couple storage manager 140 and client computing device102; and a third communication pathway 114 may communicatively couplestorage manager 140 and secondary storage computing device 106, etc.(see, e.g., FIG. 1A and FIG. 1C). A communication pathway 114 caninclude one or more networks or other connection types including one ormore of the following, without limitation: the Internet, a wide areanetwork (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a Storage Area Network (SAN),a Fibre Channel (FC) connection, a Small Computer System Interface(SCSI) connection, a virtual private network (VPN), a token ring orTCP/IP based network, an intranet network, a point-to-point link, acellular network, a wireless data transmission system, a two-way cablesystem, an interactive kiosk network, a satellite network, a broadbandnetwork, a baseband network, a neural network, a mesh network, an ad hocnetwork, other appropriate computer or telecommunications networks,combinations of the same or the like. Communication pathways 114 in somecases may also include application programming interfaces (APIs)including, e.g., cloud service provider APIs, virtual machine managementAPIs, and hosted service provider APIs. The underlying infrastructure ofcommunication pathways 114 may be wired and/or wireless, analog and/ordigital, or any combination thereof; and the facilities used may beprivate, public, third-party provided, or any combination thereof,without limitation.

A “subclient” is a logical grouping of all or part of a client's primarydata 112. In general a subclient may be defined according to how thesubclient data is to be protected as a unit in system 100. For example,a subclient may be associated with a certain storage policy. A givenclient may thus comprise several subclients, each subclient associatedwith a different storage policy. For example, some files may form afirst subclient that requires compression and deduplication and isassociated with a first storage policy. Other files of the client mayform a second subclient that requires a different retention schedule aswell as encryption, and may be associated with a different, secondstorage policy. As a result, though the primary data may be generated bythe same application 110, and may belong to one given client, portionsof the data may be assigned to different subclients for distincttreatment by the information management system. More detail onsubclients is given in regard to storage policies below.

Primary Data and Exemplary Primary Storage Devices

Primary data 112 is generally production data or other “live” datagenerated by the operating system and/or applications 110 executing onclient computing device 102. Primary data 112 is generally stored onprimary storage device(s) 104 and is organized via a file systemoperating on the client computing device 102. Thus, client computingdevice(s) 102 and corresponding applications 110 may create, access,modify, write, delete, and otherwise use primary data 112. Primary data112 is generally in the native format of the source application 110.According to certain aspects, primary data 112 is an initial or firststored body of data generated by the source application 110. Primarydata 112 in some cases is created substantially directly from datagenerated by the corresponding source application 110.

Primary storage devices 104 storing primary data 112 may be relativelyfast and/or expensive technology (e.g., a disk drive, a hard-diskstorage array, solid state memory, etc.), typically because they mustsupport high-performance live production environments. Primary data 112may be highly changeable and/or may be intended for relatively shortterm retention (e.g., hours, days, or weeks). According to someembodiments, client computing device 102 can access primary data 112stored in primary storage device 104 by making conventional file systemcalls via the operating system. Primary data 112 may include structureddata (e.g., database files), unstructured data (e.g., documents), and/orsemi-structured data. See, e.g., FIG. 1B.

It can be useful in performing certain tasks to organize primary data112 into units of different granularities. In general, primary data 112can include files, directories, file system volumes, data blocks,extents, or any other hierarchies or organizations of data objects. Asused herein, a “data object” can refer to (i) any file that is currentlyaddressable by a file system or that was previously addressable by thefile system (e.g., an archive file), and (ii) a subset of such a file(e.g., a data block, an extent, etc.).

It can also be useful in performing certain functions of system 100 toaccess and modify metadata within primary data 112. Metadata generallyincludes information about data objects and/or characteristicsassociated with the data objects. For simplicity herein, it is to beunderstood that, unless expressly stated otherwise, any reference toprimary data 112 generally also includes its associated metadata, butreferences to metadata generally do not include the primary data.Metadata can include, without limitation, one or more of the following:the data owner (e.g., the client or user that generates the data), thelast modified time (e.g., the time of the most recent modification ofthe data object), a data object name (e.g., a file name), a data objectsize (e.g., a number of bytes of data), information about the content(e.g., an indication as to the existence of a particular search term),user-supplied tags, to/from information for email (e.g., an emailsender, recipient, etc.), creation date, file type (e.g., format orapplication type), last accessed time, application type (e.g., type ofapplication that generated the data object), location/network (e.g., acurrent, past or future location of the data object and network pathwaysto/from the data object), geographic location (e.g., GPS coordinates),frequency of change (e.g., a period in which the data object ismodified), business unit (e.g., a group or department that generates,manages or is otherwise associated with the data object), aginginformation (e.g., a schedule, such as a time period, in which the dataobject is migrated to secondary or long term storage), boot sectors,partition layouts, file location within a file folder directorystructure, user permissions, owners, groups, access control lists(ACLs), system metadata (e.g., registry information), combinations ofthe same or other similar information related to the data object. Inaddition to metadata generated by or related to file systems andoperating systems, some applications 110 and/or other components ofsystem 100 maintain indices of metadata for data objects, e.g., metadataassociated with individual email messages. The use of metadata toperform classification and other functions is described in greaterdetail below.

Each client computing device 102 is generally associated with and/or incommunication with one or more primary storage devices 104 storingcorresponding primary data 112. A client computing device 102 may beconsidered to be associated with or in communication with a primarystorage device 104 if it is capable of one or more of: routing and/orstoring data (e.g., primary data 112) to the particular primary storagedevice 104, coordinating the routing and/or storing of data to theparticular primary storage device 104, retrieving data from theparticular primary storage device 104, coordinating the retrieval ofdata from the particular primary storage device 104, and modifyingand/or deleting data in the particular primary storage device 104. Aclient computing device 102 may be said to access data stored in anassociated storage device 104.

Primary storage device 104 may be dedicated or shared. In some cases,each primary storage device 104 is dedicated to an associated clientcomputing device 102, e.g., a local disk drive. In other cases, one ormore primary storage devices 104 can be shared by multiple clientcomputing devices 102, e.g., via a local network, in a cloud storageimplementation, etc. As one example, primary storage device 104 can be astorage array shared by a group of client computing devices 102, such asEMC Clariion, EMC Symmetrix, EMC Celerra, Dell EqualLogic, IBM XIV,NetApp FAS, HP EVA, and HP 3PAR.

Information management system 100 may also include hosted services (notshown), which may be hosted in some cases by an entity other than theorganization that employs the other components of system 100. Forinstance, the hosted services may be provided by online serviceproviders. Such service providers can provide social networkingservices, hosted email services, or hosted productivity applications orother hosted applications such as software-as-a-service (SaaS),platform-as-a-service (PaaS), application service providers (ASPs),cloud services, or other mechanisms for delivering functionality via anetwork. As it services users, each hosted service may generateadditional data and metadata, which may be managed by system 100, e.g.,as primary data 112. In some cases, the hosted services may be accessedusing one of the applications 110. As an example, a hosted mail servicemay be accessed via browser running on a client computing device 102.

Secondary Copies and Exemplary Secondary Storage Devices

Primary data 112 stored on primary storage devices 104 may becompromised in some cases, such as when an employee deliberately oraccidentally deletes or overwrites primary data 112. Or primary storagedevices 104 can be damaged, lost, or otherwise corrupted. For recoveryand/or regulatory compliance purposes, it is therefore useful togenerate and maintain copies of primary data 112. Accordingly, system100 includes one or more secondary storage computing devices 106 and oneor more secondary storage devices 108 configured to create and store oneor more secondary copies 116 of primary data 112 including itsassociated metadata. The secondary storage computing devices 106 and thesecondary storage devices 108 may be referred to as secondary storagesubsystem 118.

Creation of secondary copies 116 can help in search and analysis effortsand meet other information management goals as well, such as: restoringdata and/or metadata if an original version is lost (e.g., by deletion,corruption, or disaster); allowing point-in-time recovery; complyingwith regulatory data retention and electronic discovery (e-discovery)requirements; reducing utilized storage capacity in the productionsystem and/or in secondary storage; facilitating organization and searchof data; improving user access to data files across multiple computingdevices and/or hosted services; and implementing data retentionpolicies.

A secondary copy 116 can comprise a separate stored copy of data that isderived from one or more earlier-created stored copies (e.g., derivedfrom primary data 112 or from another secondary copy 116). Secondarycopies 116 can include point-in-time data, and may be intended forrelatively long-term retention, before some or all of the data is movedto other storage or discarded. In some cases, a secondary copy 116 maybe in a different storage device than other previously stored copies;and/or may be remote from other previously stored copies. Secondarycopies 116 can be stored in the same storage device as primary data 112.For example, a disk array capable of performing hardware snapshotsstores primary data 112 and creates and stores hardware snapshots of theprimary data 112 as secondary copies 116. Secondary copies 116 may bestored in relatively slow and/or lower cost storage (e.g., magnetictape). A secondary copy 116 may be stored in a backup or archive format,or in some other format different from the native source applicationformat or other format of primary data 112.

Secondary storage computing devices 106 may index secondary copies 116(e.g., using a media agent 144), so that users can browse and restore ata later time. After creation of a secondary copy 116 representative ofcertain primary data 112, a pointer or other location indicia (e.g., astub) may be placed in primary data 112, or be otherwise associated withprimary data 112, to indicate the current location on secondary storagedevice(s) 108 of a particular secondary copy 116.

Since an instance of a data object or metadata in primary data 112 maychange over time as it is modified by application 110 (or hosted serviceor the operating system), system 100 may create and manage multiplesecondary copies 116 of a particular data object or metadata, each copyrepresenting the state of the data object in primary data 112 at aparticular point in time. Moreover, since an instance of a data objectin primary data 112 may eventually be deleted from primary storagedevice 104 and the file system, system 100 may continue to managepoint-in-time representations of that data object, even though theinstance in primary data 112 no longer exists.

For virtual machines, the operating system and other applications 110 ofclient computing device(s) 102 may execute within or under themanagement of virtualization software (e.g., a VMM), and the primarystorage device(s) 104 may comprise a virtual disk created on a physicalstorage device. System 100 may create secondary copies 116 of the filesor other data objects in a virtual disk file and/or secondary copies 116of the entire virtual disk file itself (e.g., of an entire .vmdk file).

Secondary copies 116 may be distinguished from corresponding primarydata 112. First, secondary copies 116 can be stored in a differentformat (e.g., backup, archive, or other non-native format) than primarydata 112. For this or other reasons, secondary copies 116 may not bedirectly useable by applications 110 or client computing device 102(e.g., via standard system calls or otherwise) without modification,processing, or other intervention by system 100 which may be referred toas “restore” operations. Secondary copies 116 may have been processed bydata agent 142 and/or media agent 144 in the course of being created(e.g., compression, deduplication, encryption, integrity markers,indexing, formatting, etc.), and thus secondary copy 116 may representsource primary data 112 without necessarily being exactly identical tothe source.

Second, secondary copies 116 may be stored on a secondary storage device108 that is inaccessible to application 110 running on client computingdevice 102 and/or hosted service. Some secondary copies 116 may be“offline copies,” in that they are not readily available (e.g., notmounted to tape or disk). Offline copies can include copies of data thatsystem 100 can access without human intervention (e.g., tapes within anautomated tape library, but not yet mounted in a drive), and copies thatthe system 100 can access only with some human intervention (e.g., tapeslocated at an offsite storage site).

Using Intermediate Devices for Creating Secondary Copies—SecondaryStorage Computing Devices

Creating secondary copies can be challenging. For instance, hundreds orthousands of client computing devices 102 may be continually generatinglarge volumes of primary data 112 to be protected. Also, there can besignificant overhead involved in the creation of secondary copies 116.Moreover, secondary storage devices 108 may be special-purposecomponents, and devices that write to, read from, or otherwise interactwith secondary storage devices 108, such as secondary storage computingdevices 106 and corresponding media agents 144, may require specializedprogrammed intelligence and/or hardware capability. Client computingdevices 102 may interact directly with a secondary storage device 108 tocreate secondary copies 116; however, in view of the factors describedabove, this approach can negatively impact the ability of clientcomputing device 102 to serve/service application 110 and produceprimary data 112. Further, any given client computing device 102 may notbe optimized for interaction with certain secondary storage devices 108.

Thus, information management system 100 may include one or more softwareand/or hardware components which generally act as intermediaries betweenclient computing devices 102 (that generate primary data 112) andsecondary storage devices 108 (that store secondary copies 116). Inaddition to off-loading certain responsibilities from client computingdevices 102, these intermediate components can provide other benefits.For instance, as discussed further below with respect to FIG. 1D,distributing some of the work involved in creating secondary copies 116can enhance scalability and improve system performance. For instance,using specialized secondary storage computing devices 106 and mediaagents 144 for interfacing with secondary storage devices 108 and/or forperforming certain data processing operations can greatly improve thespeed with which system 100 performs information management operationsand can also improve the capacity of the system to handle large numbersof such operations, while reducing the computational load on theproduction environment of client computing devices 102. The intermediatecomponents can include one or more secondary storage computing devices106 as shown in FIG. 1A and/or one or more media agents 144. Mediaagents are discussed further below (e.g., with respect to FIGS. 1C-1E).

Secondary storage computing device(s) 106 can comprise any of thecomputing devices described above, without limitation. In some cases,secondary storage computing device(s) 106 also include specializedhardware and/or software componentry for interacting with certainsecondary storage device(s) 108 with which they may be speciallyassociated.

To create a secondary copy 116 involving the copying of data fromprimary storage subsystem 117 to secondary storage subsystem 118, clientcomputing device 102 may communicate the primary data 112 to be copied(or a processed version thereof) to the designated secondary storagecomputing device 106, via a communication pathway 114. Secondary storagecomputing device 106 in turn may perform further processing and mayconvey the data (or a processed version thereof) to secondary storagedevice 108. One or more secondary copies 116 may be created fromexisting secondary copies 116, such as in the case of an auxiliary copyoperation, described further below.

Exemplary Primary Data and an Exemplary Secondary Copy

FIG. 1B is a detailed view showing some specific examples of primarydata stored on primary storage device(s) 104 and secondary copy datastored on secondary storage device(s) 108, with other components of thesystem removed for the purposes of illustration. Stored on the primarystorage device(s) 104 are primary data 112 objects including wordprocessing documents 119A-B, spreadsheets 120, presentation documents122, video files 124, image files 126, email mailboxes 128 (andcorresponding email messages 129A-C), html/xml or other types of markuplanguage files 130, databases 132 and corresponding tables or other datastructures 133A-133C). Some or all primary data 112 objects areassociated with corresponding metadata (e.g., “Meta1-11”), which mayinclude file system metadata and/or application-specific metadata.Stored on the secondary storage device(s) 108 are secondary copy 116data objects 134A-C which may include copies of or may otherwiserepresent corresponding primary data 112.

Secondary copy data objects 134A-C can individually represent more thanone primary data object. For example, secondary copy data object 134Arepresents three separate primary data objects 133C, 122, and 129C(represented as 133C′, 122′, and 129C′, respectively, and accompanied bycorresponding metadata Meta11, Meta3, and Meta8, respectively).Moreover, as indicated by the prime mark (′), secondary storagecomputing devices 106 or other components in secondary storage subsystem118 may process the data received from primary storage subsystem 117 andstore a secondary copy including a transformed and/or supplementedrepresentation of a primary data object and/or metadata that isdifferent from the original format, e.g., in a compressed, encrypted,deduplicated, or other modified format. For instance, secondary storagecomputing devices 106 can generate new metadata or other informationbased on said processing, and store the newly generated informationalong with the secondary copies. Secondary copy data object 1346represents primary data objects 120, 133B, and 119A as 120′, 133B′, and119A′, respectively, accompanied by corresponding metadata Meta2,Meta10, and Meta1, respectively. Also, secondary copy data object 134Crepresents primary data objects 133A, 119B, and 129A as 133A′, 119B′,and 129A′, respectively, accompanied by corresponding metadata Meta9,Meta5, and Meta6, respectively.

Exemplary Information Management System Architecture

Information management system 100 can incorporate a variety of differenthardware and software components, which can in turn be organized withrespect to one another in many different configurations, depending onthe embodiment. There are critical design choices involved in specifyingthe functional responsibilities of the components and the role of eachcomponent in system 100. Such design choices can impact performance aswell as the adaptability of system 100 to data growth and other changingcircumstances.

FIG. 1C shows an information management system 100 designed according tothese considerations and which includes: storage manager 140, one ormore data agents 142 executing on client computing device(s) 102 andconfigured to process primary data 112, and one or more media agents 144executing on the one or more secondary storage computing devices 106 forperforming tasks involving the secondary storage devices 108.

Storage Manager

Storage manager 140 is a centralized storage and/or information managerthat is configured to perform certain control functions and also tostore certain critical information about system 100. As noted, thenumber of components in system 100 and the amount of data undermanagement can be large. Managing the components and data is therefore asignificant task, which can grow unpredictably as the number ofcomponents and data scale to meet the needs of the organization. Forthese and other reasons, according to certain embodiments,responsibility for controlling system 100, or at least a significantportion of that responsibility, is allocated to storage manager 140.Storage manager 140 can be adapted independently according to changingcircumstances, without having to replace or re-design the remainder ofthe system. Moreover, a computing device for hosting and/or operating asstorage manager 140 can be selected to best suit the functions andnetworking needs of storage manager 140. These and other advantages aredescribed in further detail below and with respect to FIG. 1D.

Storage manager 140 may be a software module or other application,which, in some embodiments operates in conjunction with one or moreassociated data structures such as a dedicated database (e.g.,management database 146). In some embodiments, storage manager 140 isitself a computing device that performs the functions described herein.The storage manager generally initiates, performs, coordinates and/orcontrols storage and other information management operations performedby the system 100, e.g., to protect and control primary data 112 andsecondary copies 116. In general, storage manager 100 may be said tomanage information management system 100, which includes managingconstituent components such as data agents and media agents, etc.

As shown by the dashed arrowed lines 114 in FIG. 1C, storage manager 140may communicate with and/or control some or all elements of theinformation management system 100, such as data agents 142 and mediaagents 144. In this manner, storage manager 140 may control theoperation of various hardware and software components in system 100. Incertain embodiments, control information originates from storage manager140 and status as well as index reporting is transmitted to storagemanager 140 by the managed components, whereas payload data and metadataare generally communicated between data agents 142 and media agents 144(or otherwise between client computing device(s) 102 and secondarystorage computing device(s) 106), e.g., at the direction of and underthe management of storage manager 140. Control information can generallyinclude parameters and instructions for carrying out informationmanagement operations, such as, without limitation, instructions toperform a task associated with an operation, timing informationspecifying when to initiate a task, data path information specifyingwhat components to communicate with or access in carrying out anoperation, and the like. In other embodiments, some informationmanagement operations are controlled or initiated by other components ofsystem 100 (e.g., by media agents 144 or data agents 142), instead of orin combination with storage manager 140.

According to certain embodiments, storage manager 140 provides one ormore of the following functions:

-   -   communicating with data agents 142 and media agents 144,        including transmitting instructions, messages, and/or queries,        as well as receiving status reports, index information,        messages, and/or queries, and responding to same;    -   initiating execution of information management operations;    -   initiating restore and recovery operations;    -   managing secondary storage devices 108 and inventory/capacity of        the same;    -   allocating secondary storage devices 108 for secondary copy        operations;    -   reporting, searching, and/or classification of data in system        100;    -   monitoring completion of and status reporting related to        information management operations and jobs;    -   tracking movement of data within system 100;    -   tracking age information relating to secondary copies 116,        secondary storage devices 108, comparing the age information        against retention guidelines, and initiating data pruning when        appropriate;    -   tracking logical associations between components in system 100;    -   protecting metadata associated with system 100, e.g., in        management database 146;    -   implementing job management, schedule management, event        management, alert management, reporting, job history        maintenance, user security management, disaster recovery        management, and/or user interfacing for system administrators        and/or end users of system 100;    -   sending, searching, and/or viewing of log files; and    -   implementing operations management functionality.

Storage manager 140 may maintain an associated database 146 (or “storagemanager database 146” or “management database 146”) ofmanagement-related data and information management policies 148.Database 146 can be stored in computer memory accessible by storagemanager 140. Database 146 may include a management index 150 (or “index150”) or other data structure(s) that may store: logical associationsbetween components of the system; user preferences and/or profiles(e.g., preferences regarding encryption, compression, or deduplicationof primary data or secondary copies; preferences regarding thescheduling, type, or other aspects of secondary copy or otheroperations; mappings of particular information management users or useraccounts to certain computing devices or other components, etc.;management tasks; media containerization; or other useful data. Forexample, storage manager 140 may use index 150 to track logicalassociations between media agents 144 and secondary storage devices 108and/or movement of data from primary storage devices 104 to secondarystorage devices 108. For instance, index 150 may store data associatinga client computing device 102 with a particular media agent 144 and/orsecondary storage device 108, as specified in an information managementpolicy 148.

Administrators and others may configure and initiate certain informationmanagement operations on an individual basis. But while this may beacceptable for some recovery operations or other infrequent tasks, it isoften not workable for implementing on-going organization-wide dataprotection and management. Thus, system 100 may utilize informationmanagement policies 148 for specifying and executing informationmanagement operations on an automated basis. Generally, an informationmanagement policy 148 can include a stored data structure or otherinformation source that specifies parameters (e.g., criteria and rules)associated with storage management or other information managementoperations. Storage manager 140 can process an information managementpolicy 148 and/or index 150 and, based on the results, identify aninformation management operation to perform, identify the appropriatecomponents in system 100 to be involved in the operation (e.g., clientcomputing devices 102 and corresponding data agents 142, secondarystorage computing devices 106 and corresponding media agents 144, etc.),establish connections to those components and/or between thosecomponents, and/or instruct and control those components to carry outthe operation. In this manner, system 100 can translate storedinformation into coordinated activity among the various computingdevices in system 100.

Management database 146 may maintain information management policies 148and associated data, although information management policies 148 can bestored in computer memory at any appropriate location outside managementdatabase 146. For instance, an information management policy 148 such asa storage policy may be stored as metadata in a media agent database 152or in a secondary storage device 108 (e.g., as an archive copy) for usein restore or other information management operations, depending on theembodiment. Information management policies 148 are described furtherbelow. According to certain embodiments, management database 146comprises a relational database (e.g., an SQL database) for trackingmetadata, such as metadata associated with secondary copy operations(e.g., what client computing devices 102 and corresponding subclientdata were protected and where the secondary copies are stored and whichmedia agent 144 performed the secondary storage). This and othermetadata may additionally be stored in other locations, such as atsecondary storage computing device 106 or on the secondary storagedevice 108, allowing data recovery without the use of storage manager140 in some cases. Thus, management database 146 may comprise dataneeded to kick off secondary copy operations (e.g., storage policies),status and reporting information about completed jobs (e.g., status onyesterday's backup jobs), and additional information sufficient toenable restore and disaster recovery operations (e.g., media agentassociations, location indexing, content indexing, etc.)

Storage manager 140 may include a jobs agent 156, a user interface 158,and a management agent 154, all of which may be implemented asinterconnected software modules or application programs. These aredescribed further below.

Jobs agent 156 in some embodiments initiates, controls, and/or monitorsthe status of some or all information management operations previouslyperformed, currently being performed, or scheduled to be performed bysystem 100. A job may be a logical grouping of information managementoperations such as generating backup copies of a primary data 112subclient at a certain time every day. Thus, jobs agent 156 may accessinformation management policies 148 (e.g., in management database 146)to determine when and how to initiate/control jobs in system 100.

Storage Manager User Interfaces

User interface 158 may include information processing and displaysoftware, such as a graphical user interface (GUI), an applicationprogram interface (API), and/or other interactive interface(s) throughwhich users and system processes can retrieve information about thestatus of information management operations or issue instructions tosystem 100 and/or its constituent components. Via user interface 158,users may issue instructions to the components in system 100 regardingperformance of secondary copy and recovery operations. For example, auser may modify a schedule concerning the number of pending secondarycopy operations. As another example, a user may employ the GUI to viewthe status of pending secondary copy jobs or to monitor the status ofcertain components in system 100 (e.g., the amount of capacity left in astorage device). Storage manager 140 may track information that permitsit to select, designate, or otherwise identify content indices,deduplication databases, or similar databases or resources or data setswithin its information management cell (or another cell) to be searchedin response to certain queries. Such queries may be entered by the userby interacting with user interface 158.

Various embodiments of information management system 100 may beconfigured and/or designed to generate user interface data useable forrendering the various interactive user interfaces described. The userinterface data may be used by system 100 and/or by another system,device, and/or software program (for example, a browser program), torender the interactive user interfaces. The interactive user interfacesmay be displayed on, for example, electronic displays (including, forexample, touch-enabled displays), consoles, etc., whetherdirect-connected to storage manager 140 or communicatively coupledremotely, e.g., via an internet connection. The present disclosuredescribes various embodiments of interactive and dynamic userinterfaces, some of which may be generated by user interface agent 158,and which are the result of significant technological development. Theuser interfaces described herein may provide improved human-computerinteractions, allowing for significant cognitive and ergonomicefficiencies and advantages over previous systems, including reducedmental workloads, improved decision-making, and the like. User interface158 may operate in a single integrated view or console (not shown). Theconsole may support a reporting capability for generating a variety ofreports, which may be tailored to a particular aspect of informationmanagement.

User interfaces are not exclusive to storage manager 140 and in someembodiments a user may access information locally from a computingdevice component of system 100. For example, some information pertainingto installed data agents 142 and associated data streams may beavailable from client computing device 102. Likewise, some informationpertaining to media agents 144 and associated data streams may beavailable from secondary storage computing device 106.

Storage Manager Management Agent

Management agent 154 can provide storage manager 140 with the ability tocommunicate with other components within information management system100 and/or with other information management cells via network protocolsand application programming interfaces (APIs) including, e.g., HTTP,HTTPS, FTP, REST, virtualization software APIs, cloud service providerAPIs, and hosted service provider APIs.

Management agent 154 also allows multiple information management cellsto communicate with one another. For example, system 100 in some casesmay be one information management cell in a network of multiple cellsadjacent to one another or otherwise logically related, e.g., in a WANor LAN. With this arrangement, the cells may communicate with oneanother through respective management agents 154. Inter-cellcommunication and hierarchy is described in greater detail in e.g., U.S.Pat. No. 7,343,453.

Information Management Cell

An “information management cell” (or “storage operation cell” or “cell”)may generally include a logical and/or physical grouping of acombination of hardware and software components associated withperforming information management operations on electronic data,typically one storage manager 140 and at least one data agent 142(executing on a client computing device 102) and at least one mediaagent 144 (executing on a secondary storage computing device 106). Forinstance, the components shown in FIG. 1C may together form aninformation management cell. Thus, in some configurations, a system 100may be referred to as an information management cell. A given cell maybe identified by the identity of its storage manager 140, which isgenerally responsible for managing the cell.

Multiple cells may be organized hierarchically, so that cells mayinherit properties from hierarchically superior cells or be controlledby other cells in the hierarchy (automatically or otherwise).Alternatively, in some embodiments, cells may inherit or otherwise beassociated with information management policies, preferences,information management operational parameters, or other properties orcharacteristics according to their relative position in a hierarchy ofcells. Cells may also be organized hierarchically according to function,geography, architectural considerations, or other factors useful ordesirable in performing information management operations. For example,a first cell may represent a geographic segment of an enterprise, suchas a Chicago office, and a second cell may represent a differentgeographic segment, such as a New York City office. Other cells mayrepresent departments within a particular office, e.g., human resources,finance, engineering, etc. Where delineated by function, a first cellmay perform one or more first types of information management operations(e.g., one or more first types of secondary copies at a certainfrequency), and a second cell may perform one or more second types ofinformation management operations (e.g., one or more second types ofsecondary copies at a different frequency and under different retentionrules). In general, the hierarchical information is maintained by one ormore storage managers 140 that manage the respective cells (e.g., incorresponding management database(s) 146).

Data Agents

A variety of different applications 110 can operate on a given clientcomputing device 102, including operating systems, file systems,database applications, e-mail applications, and virtual machines, justto name a few. And, as part of the process of creating and restoringsecondary copies 116, the client computing device 102 may be tasked withprocessing and preparing the primary data 112 generated by these variousapplications 110. Moreover, the nature of the processing/preparation candiffer across application types, e.g., due to inherent structural,state, and formatting differences among applications 110 and/or theoperating system of client computing device 102. Each data agent 142 istherefore advantageously configured in some embodiments to assist in theperformance of information management operations based on the type ofdata that is being protected at a client-specific and/orapplication-specific level.

Data agent 142 is a component of information system 100 and is generallydirected by storage manager 140 in creating or restoring secondarycopies 116. Data agent 142 may be a software program (e.g., a set ofexecutable binary files) that executes on the same client computingdevice 102 as the associated application 110 that data agent 142 isconfigured to protect. Data agent 142 is generally responsible formanaging, initiating, or otherwise assisting in the performance ofinformation management operations in reference to its associatedapplication(s) 110 and corresponding primary data 112 which isgenerated/accessed by the particular application(s). For instance, dataagent 142 may take part in copying, archiving, migrating, and/orreplicating of primary data 112 stored in the primary storage device(s)104. Data agent 142 may receive control information from storage manager140, such as commands to transfer copies of data objects and/or metadatato one or more media agents 144. Data agent 142 also may compress,deduplicate, and encrypt primary data 112 before transmitting it tomedia agent 144. Data agent 142 also may receive instructions fromstorage manager 140 to restore (or assist in restoring) a secondary copy116 from secondary storage device 108 to primary storage 104, such thatthe restored data may be accessed by application 110.

Each data agent 142 may be specialized for a particular application 110.For instance, different individual data agents 142 may be designed tohandle Microsoft Exchange data, Lotus Notes data, Microsoft Windows filesystem data, Microsoft Active Directory Objects data, SQL Server data,SharePoint data, Oracle database data, SAP database data, virtualmachines and/or associated data, and other types of data. A file systemdata agent, for example, may handle data files and/or other file systeminformation. If a client computing device 102 has two or more types ofdata 112, a specialized data agent 142 may be used for each data type.For example, to backup, migrate, and/or restore all of the data on aMicrosoft Exchange server, the client computing device 102 may use: aMicrosoft Exchange Mailbox data agent 142 to back up the Exchangemailboxes; a Microsoft Exchange Database data agent 142 to back up theExchange databases; a Microsoft Exchange Public Folder data agent 142 toback up the Exchange Public Folders; and a Microsoft Windows File Systemdata agent 142 to back up the file system of client computing device102. In such embodiments, these specialized data agents 142 may betreated as four separate data agents 142 even though they operate on thesame client computing device 102. Other examples may include archivemanagement data agents such as a migration archiver or a compliancearchiver, Quick Recovery® agents, and continuous data replicationagents. Application-specific data agents 142 can provide improvedperformance as compared to generic agents. For instance, becauseapplication-specific data agents 142 may only handle data for a singlesoftware application, the design of the data agent 142 can bestreamlined. The data agent 142 may therefore execute faster and consumeless persistent storage and/or operating memory than data agentsdesigned to generically accommodate multiple different softwareapplications 110.

Each data agent 142 may be configured to access data and/or metadatastored in the primary storage device(s) 104 associated with data agent142 and its host client computing device 102, and process the dataappropriately. For example, during a secondary copy operation, dataagent 142 may arrange or assemble the data and metadata into one or morefiles having a certain format (e.g., a particular backup or archiveformat) before transferring the file(s) to a media agent 144 or othercomponent. The file(s) may include a list of files or other metadata.

In some embodiments, a data agent 142 may be distributed between clientcomputing device 102 and storage manager 140 (and any other intermediatecomponents) or may be deployed from a remote location or its functionsapproximated by a remote process that performs some or all of thefunctions of data agent 142. In addition, a data agent 142 may performsome functions provided by media agent 144. Other embodiments may employone or more generic data agents 142 that can handle and process datafrom two or more different applications 110, or that can handle andprocess multiple data types, instead of or in addition to usingspecialized data agents 142. For example, one generic data agent 142 maybe used to back up, migrate and restore Microsoft Exchange Mailbox dataand Microsoft Exchange Database data, while another generic data agentmay handle Microsoft Exchange Public Folder data and Microsoft WindowsFile System data.

Media Agents

As noted, off-loading certain responsibilities from client computingdevices 102 to intermediate components such as secondary storagecomputing device(s) 106 and corresponding media agent(s) 144 can providea number of benefits including improved performance of client computingdevice 102, faster information management operations, and enhancedscalability. In one example which will be discussed further below, mediaagent 144 can act as a local cache of recently-copied data and/ormetadata that it stored to secondary storage device(s) 108, thusimproving restore capabilities and performance.

Media agent 144 is a component of information system 100 and isgenerally directed by storage manager 140 in creating or restoringsecondary copies 116. Whereas storage manager 140 generally managesinformation management system 100, media agent 144 provides a portal tosecondary storage devices 108. Media agent 144 may be a software program(e.g., a set of executable binary files) that executes on a secondarystorage computing device 106. Media agent 144 generally manages,coordinates, and facilitates the transmission of data between a clientcomputing device 102 (executing a data agent 142) and secondary storagedevice(s) 108. For instance, other components in the system may interactwith media agent 144 to gain access to data stored on secondary storagedevice(s) 108, (e.g., to browse, read, write, modify, delete, or restoredata). Moreover, media agents 144 can generate and store informationrelating to characteristics of the stored data and/or metadata, or cangenerate and store other types of information that generally providesinsight into the contents of the secondary storage devices 108—generallyreferred to as indexing of the stored secondary copies 116.

Media agents 144 can comprise separate nodes of system 100 (e.g., nodesthat are separate from client computing devices 102, storage manager140, and/or secondary storage devices 108). In general, a node can be alogically and/or physically separate component, and in some cases is acomponent that is individually addressable or otherwise identifiable. Inaddition, each media agent 144 may operate on a dedicated secondarystorage computing device 106, while in other embodiments a plurality ofmedia agents 144 may operate on the same secondary storage computingdevice 106.

A media agent 144 may be associated with a particular secondary storagedevice 108 if that media agent 144 is capable of one or more of: routingand/or storing data to the particular secondary storage device 108;coordinating the routing and/or storing of data to the particularsecondary storage device 108; retrieving data from the particularsecondary storage device 108; coordinating the retrieval of data fromthe particular secondary storage device 108; and modifying and/ordeleting data retrieved from the particular secondary storage device108. Media agent 144 in certain embodiments is physically separate fromthe associated secondary storage device 108. For instance, a media agent144 may operate on a secondary storage computing device 106 in adistinct housing, package, and/or location from the associated secondarystorage device 108. In one example, a media agent 144 operates on afirst server computer and is in communication with a secondary storagedevice(s) 108 operating in a separate rack-mounted RAID-based system.

A media agent 144 associated with a particular secondary storage device108 may instruct secondary storage device 108 to perform an informationmanagement task. For instance, a media agent 144 may instruct a tapelibrary to use a robotic arm or other retrieval means to load or eject acertain storage media, and to subsequently archive, migrate, or retrievedata to or from that media, e.g., for the purpose of restoring data to aclient computing device 102. As another example, a secondary storagedevice 108 may include an array of hard disk drives or solid statedrives organized in a RAID configuration, and media agent 144 mayforward a logical unit number (LUN) and other appropriate information tothe array, which uses the received information to execute the desiredsecondary copy operation. Media agent 144 may communicate with asecondary storage device 108 via a suitable communications link, such asa SCSI or Fiber Channel link.

Each media agent 144 may maintain an associated media agent database152. Media agent database 152 may be stored to a disk or other storagedevice (not shown) that is local to the secondary storage computingdevice 106 on which media agent 144 operates. In other cases, mediaagent database 152 is stored separately from the host secondary storagecomputing device 106. Media agent database 152 can include, among otherthings, a media agent index 153 (see, e.g., FIG. 1C). In some cases,media agent index 153 does not form a part of and is instead separatefrom media agent database 152.

Media agent index 153 (or “index 153”) may be a data structureassociated with the particular media agent 144 that includes informationabout the stored data associated with the particular media agent andwhich may be generated in the course of performing a secondary copyoperation or a restore. Index 153 provides a fast and efficientmechanism for locating/browsing secondary copies 116 or other datastored in secondary storage devices 108 without having to accesssecondary storage device 108 to retrieve the information from there. Forinstance, for each secondary copy 116, index 153 may include metadatasuch as a list of the data objects (e.g., files/subdirectories, databaseobjects, mailbox objects, etc.), a logical path to the secondary copy116 on the corresponding secondary storage device 108, locationinformation (e.g., offsets) indicating where the data objects are storedin the secondary storage device 108, when the data objects were createdor modified, etc. Thus, index 153 includes metadata associated with thesecondary copies 116 that is readily available for use from media agent144. In some embodiments, some or all of the information in index 153may instead or additionally be stored along with secondary copies 116 insecondary storage device 108. In some embodiments, a secondary storagedevice 108 can include sufficient information to enable a “bare metalrestore,” where the operating system and/or software applications of afailed client computing device 102 or another target may beautomatically restored without manually reinstalling individual softwarepackages (including operating systems).

Because index 153 may operate as a cache, it can also be referred to asan “index cache.” In such cases, information stored in index cache 153typically comprises data that reflects certain particulars aboutrelatively recent secondary copy operations. After some triggeringevent, such as after some time elapses or index cache 153 reaches aparticular size, certain portions of index cache 153 may be copied ormigrated to secondary storage device 108, e.g., on a least-recently-usedbasis. This information may be retrieved and uploaded back into indexcache 153 or otherwise restored to media agent 144 to facilitateretrieval of data from the secondary storage device(s) 108. In someembodiments, the cached information may include format orcontainerization information related to archives or other files storedon storage device(s) 108.

In some alternative embodiments media agent 144 generally acts as acoordinator or facilitator of secondary copy operations between clientcomputing devices 102 and secondary storage devices 108, but does notactually write the data to secondary storage device 108. For instance,storage manager 140 (or media agent 144) may instruct a client computingdevice 102 and secondary storage device 108 to communicate with oneanother directly. In such a case, client computing device 102 transmitsdata directly or via one or more intermediary components to secondarystorage device 108 according to the received instructions, and viceversa. Media agent 144 may still receive, process, and/or maintainmetadata related to the secondary copy operations, i.e., may continue tobuild and maintain index 153. In these embodiments, payload data canflow through media agent 144 for the purposes of populating index 153,but not for writing to secondary storage device 108.

Media agent 144 and/or other components such as storage manager 140 mayin some cases incorporate additional functionality, such as dataclassification, content indexing, deduplication, encryption,compression, and the like. Further details regarding these and otherfunctions are described below.

Distributed, Scalable Architecture

As described, certain functions of system 100 can be distributed amongstvarious physical and/or logical components. For instance, one or more ofstorage manager 140, data agents 142, and media agents 144 may operateon computing devices that are physically separate from one another. Thisarchitecture can provide a number of benefits. For instance, hardwareand software design choices for each distributed component can betargeted to suit its particular function. The secondary computingdevices 106 on which media agents 144 operate can be tailored forinteraction with associated secondary storage devices 108 and providefast index cache operation, among other specific tasks. Similarly,client computing device(s) 102 can be selected to effectively serviceapplications 110 in order to efficiently produce and store primary data112.

Moreover, in some cases, one or more of the individual components ofinformation management system 100 can be distributed to multipleseparate computing devices. As one example, for large file systems wherethe amount of data stored in management database 146 is relativelylarge, database 146 may be migrated to or may otherwise reside on aspecialized database server (e.g., an SQL server) separate from a serverthat implements the other functions of storage manager 140. Thisdistributed configuration can provide added protection because database146 can be protected with standard database utilities (e.g., SQL logshipping or database replication) independent from other functions ofstorage manager 140. Database 146 can be efficiently replicated to aremote site for use in the event of a disaster or other data loss at theprimary site. Or database 146 can be replicated to another computingdevice within the same site, such as to a higher performance machine inthe event that a storage manager host computing device can no longerservice the needs of a growing system 100.

The distributed architecture also provides scalability and efficientcomponent utilization. FIG. 1D shows an embodiment of informationmanagement system 100 including a plurality of client computing devices102 and associated data agents 142 as well as a plurality of secondarystorage computing devices 106 and associated media agents 144.Additional components can be added or subtracted based on the evolvingneeds of system 100. For instance, depending on where bottlenecks areidentified, administrators can add additional client computing devices102, secondary storage computing devices 106, and/or secondary storagedevices 108. Moreover, where multiple fungible components are available,load balancing can be implemented to dynamically address identifiedbottlenecks. As an example, storage manager 140 may dynamically selectwhich media agents 144 and/or secondary storage devices 108 to use forstorage operations based on a processing load analysis of media agents144 and/or secondary storage devices 108, respectively.

Where system 100 includes multiple media agents 144 (see, e.g., FIG.1D), a first media agent 144 may provide failover functionality for asecond failed media agent 144. In addition, media agents 144 can bedynamically selected to provide load balancing. Each client computingdevice 102 can communicate with, among other components, any of themedia agents 144, e.g., as directed by storage manager 140. And eachmedia agent 144 may communicate with, among other components, any ofsecondary storage devices 108, e.g., as directed by storage manager 140.Thus, operations can be routed to secondary storage devices 108 in adynamic and highly flexible manner, to provide load balancing, failover,etc. Further examples of scalable systems capable of dynamic storageoperations, load balancing, and failover are provided in U.S. Pat. No.7,246,207.

While distributing functionality amongst multiple computing devices canhave certain advantages, in other contexts it can be beneficial toconsolidate functionality on the same computing device. In alternativeconfigurations, certain components may reside and execute on the samecomputing device. As such, in other embodiments, one or more of thecomponents shown in FIG. 1C may be implemented on the same computingdevice. In one configuration, a storage manager 140, one or more dataagents 142, and/or one or more media agents 144 are all implemented onthe same computing device. In other embodiments, one or more data agents142 and one or more media agents 144 are implemented on the samecomputing device, while storage manager 140 is implemented on a separatecomputing device, etc. without limitation.

Exemplary Types of Information Management Operations

In order to protect and leverage stored data, system 100 can beconfigured to perform a variety of information management operations,which may also be referred to in some cases as storage managementoperations or storage operations. These operations can generally include(i) data movement operations, (ii) processing and data manipulationoperations, and (iii) analysis, reporting, and management operations.

Data Movement Operations, Including Secondary Copy Operations

Data movement operations are generally operations that involve thecopying or migration of data between different locations in system 100.For example, data movement operations can include operations in whichstored data is copied, migrated, or otherwise transferred from one ormore first storage devices to one or more second storage devices, suchas from primary storage device(s) 104 to secondary storage device(s)108, from secondary storage device(s) 108 to different secondary storagedevice(s) 108, from secondary storage devices 108 to primary storagedevices 104, or from primary storage device(s) 104 to different primarystorage device(s) 104, or in some cases within the same primary storagedevice 104 such as within a storage array.

Data movement operations can include by way of example, backupoperations, archive operations, information lifecycle managementoperations such as hierarchical storage management operations,replication operations (e.g., continuous data replication), snapshotoperations, deduplication or single-instancing operations, auxiliarycopy operations, disaster-recovery copy operations, and the like. Aswill be discussed, some of these operations do not necessarily createdistinct copies. Nonetheless, some or all of these operations aregenerally referred to as “secondary copy operations” for simplicity.Data movement also comprises restoring secondary copies.

Backup Operations

A backup operation creates a copy of a version of primary data 112 at aparticular point in time (e.g., one or more files or other data units).Each subsequent backup copy 116 (which is a form of secondary copy 116)may be maintained independently of the first. A backup generallyinvolves maintaining a version of the copied primary data 112 as well asbackup copies 116. Further, a backup copy in some embodiments isgenerally stored in a form that is different from the native format,e.g., a backup format. This contrasts to the version in primary data 112which may instead be stored in a native format of the sourceapplication(s) 110. In various cases, backup copies can be stored in aformat in which the data is compressed, encrypted, deduplicated, and/orotherwise modified from the original native application format. Forexample, a backup copy may be stored in a compressed backup format thatfacilitates efficient long-term storage.

Backup copies 116 can have relatively long retention periods as comparedto primary data 112, which is generally highly changeable. Backup copies116 may be stored on media with slower retrieval times than primarystorage device 104. Some backup copies may have shorter retentionperiods than some other types of secondary copies 116, such as archivecopies (described below). Backups may be stored at an offsite location.

Backup operations can include full backups, differential backups,incremental backups, “synthetic full” backups, and/or creating a“reference copy.” A full backup (or “standard full backup”) in someembodiments is generally a complete image of the data to be protected.However, because full backup copies can consume a relatively largeamount of storage, it can be useful to use a full backup copy as abaseline and only store changes relative to the full backup copy forsubsequent backup copies.

A differential backup operation (or cumulative incremental backupoperation) tracks and stores changes that occurred since the last fullbackup. Differential backups can grow quickly in size, but can restorerelatively efficiently because a restore can be completed in some casesusing only the full backup copy and the latest differential copy.

An incremental backup operation generally tracks and stores changessince the most recent backup copy of any type, which can greatly reducestorage utilization. In some cases, however, restoring can be lengthycompared to full or differential backups because completing a restoreoperation may involve accessing a full backup in addition to multipleincremental backups.

Synthetic full backups generally consolidate data without directlybacking up data from the client computing device. A synthetic fullbackup is created from the most recent full backup (i.e., standard orsynthetic) and subsequent incremental and/or differential backups. Theresulting synthetic full backup is identical to what would have beencreated had the last backup for the subclient been a standard fullbackup. Unlike standard full, incremental, and differential backups,however, a synthetic full backup does not actually transfer data fromprimary storage to the backup media, because it operates as a backupconsolidator. A synthetic full backup extracts the index data of eachparticipating subclient. Using this index data and the previously backedup user data images, it builds new full backup images (e.g., bitmaps),one for each subclient. The new backup images consolidate the index anduser data stored in the related incremental, differential, and previousfull backups into a synthetic backup file that fully represents thesubclient (e.g., via pointers) but does not comprise all its constituentdata.

Any of the above types of backup operations can be at the volume level,file level, or block level. Volume level backup operations generallyinvolve copying of a data volume (e.g., a logical disk or partition) asa whole. In a file-level backup, information management system 100generally tracks changes to individual files and includes copies offiles in the backup copy. For block-level backups, files are broken intoconstituent blocks, and changes are tracked at the block level. Uponrestore, system 100 reassembles the blocks into files in a transparentfashion. Far less data may actually be transferred and copied tosecondary storage devices 108 during a file-level copy than avolume-level copy. Likewise, a block-level copy may transfer less datathan a file-level copy, resulting in faster execution. However,restoring a relatively higher-granularity copy can result in longerrestore times. For instance, when restoring a block-level copy, theprocess of locating constituent blocks can sometimes take longer thanrestoring file-level backups.

A reference copy may comprise copy(ies) of selected objects from backedup data, typically to help organize data by keeping contextualinformation from multiple sources together, and/or help retain specificdata for a longer period of time, such as for legal hold needs. Areference copy generally maintains data integrity, and when the data isrestored, it may be viewed in the same format as the source data. Insome embodiments, a reference copy is based on a specialized client,individual subclient and associated information management policies(e.g., storage policy, retention policy, etc.) that are administeredwithin system 100.

Archive Operations

Because backup operations generally involve maintaining a version of thecopied primary data 112 and also maintaining backup copies in secondarystorage device(s) 108, they can consume significant storage capacity. Toreduce storage consumption, an archive operation according to certainembodiments creates an archive copy 116 by both copying and removingsource data. Or, seen another way, archive operations can involve movingsome or all of the source data to the archive destination. Thus, datasatisfying criteria for removal (e.g., data of a threshold age or size)may be removed from source storage. The source data may be primary data112 or a secondary copy 116, depending on the situation. As with backupcopies, archive copies can be stored in a format in which the data iscompressed, encrypted, deduplicated, and/or otherwise modified from theformat of the original application or source copy. In addition, archivecopies may be retained for relatively long periods of time (e.g., years)and, in some cases are never deleted. Archive copies are generallyretained for longer periods of time than backup copies. In certainembodiments, archive copies may be made and kept for extended periods inorder to meet compliance regulations.

Archiving can also serve the purpose of freeing up space in primarystorage device(s) 104 and easing the demand on computational resourceson client computing device 102. Similarly, when a secondary copy 116 isarchived, the archive copy can therefore serve the purpose of freeing upspace in the source secondary storage device(s) 108. Examples of dataarchiving operations are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,298.

Snapshot Operations

Snapshot operations can provide a relatively lightweight, efficientmechanism for protecting data. From an end-user viewpoint, a snapshotmay be thought of as an “instant” image of primary data 112 at a givenpoint in time, and may include state and/or status information relativeto an application 110 that creates/manages primary data 112. In oneembodiment, a snapshot may generally capture the directory structure ofan object in primary data 112 such as a file or volume or other data setat a particular moment in time and may also preserve file attributes andcontents. A snapshot in some cases is created relatively quickly, e.g.,substantially instantly, using a minimum amount of file space, but maystill function as a conventional file system backup.

A “hardware snapshot” (or “hardware-based snapshot”) operation can be asnapshot operation where a target storage device (e.g., a primarystorage device 104 or a secondary storage device 108) performs thesnapshot operation in a self-contained fashion, substantiallyindependently, using hardware, firmware and/or software operating on thestorage device itself. For instance, the storage device may performsnapshot operations generally without intervention or oversight from anyof the other components of the system 100, e.g., a storage array maygenerate an “array-created” hardware snapshot and may also manage itsstorage, integrity, versioning, etc. In this manner, hardware snapshotscan off-load other components of system 100 from processing involved increating and managing snapshots.

A “software snapshot” (or “software-based snapshot”) operation, on theother hand, can be a snapshot operation in which one or more othercomponents in information management system 100 (e.g., client computingdevices 102, data agents 142, etc.) implement a software layer thatmanages the snapshot operation via interaction with the target storagedevice. For instance, the component executing the snapshot managementsoftware layer may derive a set of pointers and/or data that representsthe snapshot. The snapshot management software layer may then transmitthe same to the target storage device, along with appropriateinstructions for writing the snapshot. One example of a softwaresnapshot product may be Microsoft Volume Snapshot Service (VSS), whichis part of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Some types of snapshots do not actually create another physical copy ofall the data as it existed at the particular point in time, but maysimply create pointers that are able to map files and directories tospecific memory locations (e.g., to specific disk blocks) where the dataresides, as it existed at the particular point in time. For example, asnapshot copy may include a set of pointers derived from the file systemor from an application. In some other cases, the snapshot may be createdat the block-level, such that creation of the snapshot occurs withoutawareness of the file system. Each pointer points to a respective storeddata block, so that collectively, the set of pointers reflect thestorage location and state of the data object (e.g., file(s) orvolume(s) or data set(s)) at the particular point in time when thesnapshot copy was created.

An initial snapshot may use only a small amount of disk space needed torecord a mapping or other data structure representing or otherwisetracking the blocks that correspond to the current state of the filesystem. Additional disk space is usually required only when files anddirectories change later on. Furthermore, when files change, typicallyonly the pointers which map to blocks are copied, not the blocksthemselves. For example for “copy-on-write” snapshots, when a blockchanges in primary storage, the block is copied to secondary storage orcached in primary storage before the block is overwritten in primarystorage, and the pointer to that block is changed to reflect the newlocation of that block. The snapshot mapping of file system data mayalso be updated to reflect the changed block(s) at that particular pointin time. In some other cases, a snapshot includes a full physical copyof all or substantially all of the data represented by the snapshot.Further examples of snapshot operations are provided in U.S. Pat. No.7,529,782.

A snapshot copy in many cases can be made quickly and withoutsignificantly impacting primary computing resources because largeamounts of data need not be copied or moved. In some embodiments, asnapshot may exist as a virtual file system, parallel to the actual filesystem. Users in some cases gain read-only access to the record of filesand directories of the snapshot. By electing to restore primary data 112from a snapshot taken at a given point in time, users may also returnthe current file system to the state of the file system that existedwhen the snapshot was taken.

Replication Operations

Another type of secondary copy operation is a replication operation.Some types of secondary copies 116 are used to periodically captureimages of primary data 112 at particular points in time (e.g., backups,archives, and snapshots). However, it can also be useful for recoverypurposes to protect primary data 112 in a more continuous fashion, byreplicating primary data 112 substantially as changes occur. In somecases a replication copy can be a mirror copy, for instance, wherechanges made to primary data 112 are mirrored or substantiallyimmediately copied to another location (e.g., to secondary storagedevice(s) 108). By copying each write operation to the replication copy,two storage systems are kept synchronized or substantially synchronizedso that they are virtually identical at approximately the same time.Where entire disk volumes are mirrored, however, mirroring can requiresignificant amount of storage space and utilizes a large amount ofprocessing resources.

According to some embodiments secondary copy operations are performed onreplicated data that represents a recoverable state, or “known goodstate” of a particular application running on the source system. Forinstance, in certain embodiments, known good replication copies may beviewed as copies of primary data 112. This feature allows the system todirectly access, copy, restore, backup or otherwise manipulate thereplication copies as if the data were the “live” primary data 112. Thiscan reduce access time, storage utilization, and impact on sourceapplications 110, among other benefits. Based on known good stateinformation, system 100 can replicate sections of application data thatrepresent a recoverable state rather than rote copying of blocks ofdata. Examples of replication operations (e.g., continuous datareplication) are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,262.

Deduplication/Single-Instancing Operations

Deduplication or single-instance storage is useful to reduce the amountof non-primary data. For instance, some or all of the above-describedsecondary copy operations can involve deduplication in some fashion. Newdata is read, broken down into data portions of a selected granularity(e.g., sub-file level blocks, files, etc.), compared with correspondingportions that are already in secondary storage, and only new portionsare stored. Portions that already exist are represented as pointers tothe already-stored data. Thus, a deduplicated secondary copy 116 maycomprise actual data portions copied from primary data 112 and mayfurther comprise pointers to already-stored data, which is generallymore storage-efficient than a full copy.

In order to streamline the comparison process, information managementsystem 100 may calculate and/or store signatures (e.g., hashes orcryptographically unique IDs) corresponding to the individual dataportions in the source data and compare the signatures instead ofcomparing entire data portions. In some cases, only a single instance ofeach data portion is stored, and deduplication operations may thereforebe referred to interchangeably as “single-instancing” operations.Depending on the implementation, however, deduplication operations canstore more than one instance of certain data portions, but nonethelesssignificantly reduce stored-data redundancy. Depending on theembodiment, deduplication portions such as data blocks can be of fixedor variable length. Using variable length blocks can enhancededuplication by responding to changes in the data stream, but caninvolve complex processing. In some cases, system 100 utilizes atechnique for dynamically aligning deduplication blocks based onchanging content in the data stream, as described in U.S. Pat. No.8,364,652.

Information management system 100 can perform deduplication in a varietyof manners at a variety of locations. For instance, in some embodiments,system 100 implements “target-side” deduplication by deduplicating dataat the media agent 144 after being received from data agent 142. In somesuch cases, the media agents 144 are generally configured to manage thededuplication process. For instance, one or more of the media agents 144maintain a corresponding deduplication database that storesdeduplication information (e.g., datablock signatures). Examples of sucha configuration are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 9,020,900. Instead of orin combination with “target-side” deduplication, deduplication can alsobe performed on the “source-side” (or “client-side”), e.g., to reducethe amount of data to be transmitted by data agent 142 to media agent144. Storage manager 140 may communicate with other components withinsystem 100 via network protocols and cloud service provider APIs tofacilitate cloud-based deduplication/single instancing, as exemplifiedin U.S. Pat. No. 8,954,446. Some other deduplication/single instancingtechniques are described in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2006/0224846 and U.S.Pat. No. 9,098,495.

Information Lifecycle Management and Hierarchical Storage Management

In some embodiments, files and other data over their lifetime move frommore expensive quick-access storage to less expensive slower-accessstorage. Operations associated with moving data through various tiers ofstorage are sometimes referred to as information lifecycle management(ILM) operations.

One type of ILM operation is a hierarchical storage management (HSM)operation, which generally automatically moves data between classes ofstorage devices, such as from high-cost to low-cost storage devices. Forinstance, an HSM operation may involve movement of data from primarystorage devices 104 to secondary storage devices 108, or between tiersof secondary storage devices 108. With each tier, the storage devicesmay be progressively cheaper, have relatively slower access/restoretimes, etc. For example, movement of data between tiers may occur asdata becomes less important over time. In some embodiments, an HSMoperation is similar to archiving in that creating an HSM copy may(though not always) involve deleting some of the source data, e.g.,according to one or more criteria related to the source data. Forexample, an HSM copy may include primary data 112 or a secondary copy116 that is larger than a given size threshold or older than a given agethreshold. Often, and unlike some types of archive copies, HSM data thatis removed or aged from the source is replaced by a logical referencepointer or stub. The reference pointer or stub can be stored in theprimary storage device 104 or other source storage device, such as asecondary storage device 108 to replace the deleted source data and topoint to or otherwise indicate the new location in (another) secondarystorage device 108.

According to one example, files are generally moved between higher andlower cost storage depending on how often the files are accessed. When auser requests access to HSM data that has been removed or migrated,system 100 uses the stub to locate the data and may make recovery of thedata appear transparent, even though the HSM data may be stored at alocation different from other source data. In this manner, the dataappears to the user (e.g., in file system browsing windows and the like)as if it still resides in the source location (e.g., in a primarystorage device 104). The stub may also include some metadata associatedwith the corresponding data, so that a file system and/or applicationcan provide some information about the data object and/or alimited-functionality version (e.g., a preview) of the data object.

An HSM copy may be stored in a format other than the native applicationformat (e.g., compressed, encrypted, deduplicated, and/or otherwisemodified). In some cases, copies which involve the removal of data fromsource storage and the maintenance of stub or other logical referenceinformation on source storage may be referred to generally as “on-linearchive copies.” On the other hand, copies which involve the removal ofdata from source storage without the maintenance of stub or otherlogical reference information on source storage may be referred to as“off-line archive copies.” Examples of HSM and ILM techniques areprovided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453.

Auxiliary Copy Operations

An auxiliary copy is generally a copy of an existing secondary copy 116.For instance, an initial secondary copy 116 may be derived from primarydata 112 or from data residing in secondary storage subsystem 118,whereas an auxiliary copy is generated from the initial secondary copy116. Auxiliary copies provide additional standby copies of data and mayreside on different secondary storage devices 108 than the initialsecondary copies 116. Thus, auxiliary copies can be used for recoverypurposes if initial secondary copies 116 become unavailable. Exemplaryauxiliary copy techniques are described in further detail in U.S. Pat.No. 8,230,195.

Disaster-Recovery Copy Operations

Information management system 100 may also make and retain disasterrecovery copies, often as secondary, high-availability disk copies.System 100 may create secondary disk copies and store the copies atdisaster recovery locations using auxiliary copy or replicationoperations, such as continuous data replication technologies. Dependingon the particular data protection goals, disaster recovery locations canbe remote from the client computing devices 102 and primary storagedevices 104, remote from some or all of the secondary storage devices108, or both.

Data Manipulation, Including Encryption and Compression

Data manipulation and processing may include encryption and compressionas well as integrity marking and checking, formatting for transmission,formatting for storage, etc. Data may be manipulated “client-side” bydata agent 142 as well as “target-side” by media agent 144 in the courseof creating secondary copy 116.

Encryption Operations

Information management system 100 in some cases is configured to processdata (e.g., files or other data objects, primary data 112, secondarycopies 116, etc.), according to an appropriate encryption algorithm(e.g., Blowfish, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Triple DataEncryption Standard (3-DES), etc.) to limit access and provide datasecurity. System 100 in some cases encrypts the data at the clientlevel, such that client computing devices 102 (e.g., data agents 142)encrypt the data prior to transferring it to other components, e.g.,before sending the data to media agents 144 during a secondary copyoperation. In such cases, client computing device 102 may maintain orhave access to an encryption key or passphrase for decrypting the dataupon restore. Encryption can also occur when media agent 144 createsauxiliary copies or archive copies. Encryption may be applied increating a secondary copy 116 of a previously unencrypted secondary copy116, without limitation. In further embodiments, secondary storagedevices 108 can implement built-in, high performance hardware-basedencryption.

Compression Operations

Similar to encryption, system 100 may also or alternatively compressdata in the course of generating a secondary copy 116. Compressionencodes information such that fewer bits are needed to represent theinformation as compared to the original representation. Compressiontechniques are well known in the art. Compression operations may applyone or more data compression algorithms. Compression may be applied increating a secondary copy 116 of a previously uncompressed secondarycopy, e.g., when making archive copies or disaster recovery copies. Theuse of compression may result in metadata that specifies the nature ofthe compression, so that data may be uncompressed on restore ifappropriate.

Data Analysis, Reporting, and Management Operations

Data analysis, reporting, and management operations can differ from datamovement operations in that they do not necessarily involve copying,migration or other transfer of data between different locations in thesystem. For instance, data analysis operations may involve processing(e.g., offline processing) or modification of already stored primarydata 112 and/or secondary copies 116. However, in some embodiments dataanalysis operations are performed in conjunction with data movementoperations. Some data analysis operations include content indexingoperations and classification operations which can be useful inleveraging the data under management to provide enhanced search andother features. Other data analysis operations such as compression andencryption can provide data reduction and security benefits,respectively.

Classification Operations/Content Indexing

In some embodiments, information management system 100 analyzes andindexes characteristics, content, and metadata associated with primarydata 112 (“online content indexing”) and/or secondary copies 116(“off-line content indexing”). Content indexing can identify files orother data objects based on content (e.g., user-defined keywords orphrases, other keywords/phrases that are not defined by a user, etc.),and/or metadata (e.g., email metadata such as “to,” “from,” “cc,” “bcc,”attachment name, received time, etc.). Content indexes may be searchedand search results may be restored.

Information management system 100 generally organizes and catalogues theresults into a content index, which may be stored within media agentdatabase 152, for example. The content index can also include thestorage locations of or pointer references to indexed data in primarydata 112 or secondary copies 116, as appropriate. The results may alsobe stored elsewhere in system 100 (e.g., in primary storage device 104or in secondary storage device 108). Such content index data providesstorage manager 140 or other components with an efficient mechanism forlocating primary data 112 and/or secondary copies 116 of data objectsthat match particular criteria, thus greatly increasing the search speedcapability of system 100. For instance, search criteria can be specifiedby a user through user interface 158 of storage manager 140. Moreover,when system 100 analyzes data and/or metadata in secondary copies 116 tocreate an “off-line content index,” this operation has no significantimpact on the performance of client computing devices 102 and thus doesnot take a toll on the production environment. Examples of contentindexing techniques are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 8,170,995.

One or more components, such as a content index engine, can beconfigured to scan data and/or associated metadata for classificationpurposes to populate a database (or other data structure) ofinformation, which can be referred to as a “data classificationdatabase” or a “metabase.” Depending on the embodiment, the dataclassification database(s) can be organized in a variety of differentways, including centralization, logical sub-divisions, and/or physicalsub-divisions. For instance, one or more data classification databasesmay be associated with different subsystems or tiers within system 100.As an example, there may be a first metabase associated with primarystorage subsystem 117 and a second metabase associated with secondarystorage subsystem 118. In other cases, there may be one or moremetabases associated with individual components, e.g., client computingdevices 102 and/or media agents 144. In some embodiments, a dataclassification database may reside as one or more data structures withinmanagement database 146, or may be otherwise associated with storagemanager 140 or may reside as a separate component.

In some cases, metabase(s) may be included in separate database(s)and/or on separate storage device(s) from primary data 112 and/orsecondary copies 116, such that operations related to the metabase(s) donot significantly impact performance on other components of informationmanagement system 100. In other cases, metabase(s) may be stored alongwith primary data 112 and/or secondary copies 116. Files or other dataobjects can be associated with identifiers (e.g., tag entries, etc.) tofacilitate searches of stored data objects. Among a number of otherbenefits, the metabase can also allow efficient, automaticidentification of files or other data objects to associate withsecondary copy or other information management operations. For instance,a metabase can dramatically improve the speed with which the informationmanagement system can search through and identify data as compared toother approaches which can involve scanning an entire file system.Examples of metabases and data classification operations are provided inU.S. Pat. Nos. 7,734,669 and 7,747,579.

Management and Reporting Operations

Certain embodiments leverage the integrated ubiquitous nature ofinformation management system 100 to provide useful system-widemanagement and reporting functions. Operations management can generallyinclude monitoring and managing the health and performance of system 100by, without limitation, performing error tracking, generating granularstorage/performance metrics (e.g., job success/failure information,deduplication efficiency, etc.), generating storage modeling and costinginformation, and the like. As an example, storage manager 140 or othercomponent in system 100 may analyze traffic patterns and suggest and/orautomatically route data to minimize congestion. In some embodiments,the system can generate predictions relating to storage operations orstorage operation information. Such predictions, which may be based on atrending analysis, may predict various network operations or resourceusage, such as network traffic levels, storage media use, use ofbandwidth of communication links, use of media agent components, etc.Further examples of traffic analysis, trend analysis, predictiongeneration, and the like are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453.

In some configurations having a hierarchy of storage operation cells, amaster storage manager 140 may track the status of subordinate cells,such as the status of jobs, system components, system resources, andother items, by communicating with storage managers 140 (or othercomponents) in the respective storage operation cells. Moreover, themaster storage manager 140 may also track status by receiving periodicstatus updates from the storage managers 140 (or other components) inthe respective cells regarding jobs, system components, systemresources, and other items. In some embodiments, a master storagemanager 140 may store status information and other information regardingits associated storage operation cells and other system information inits management database 146 and/or index 150 (or in another location).The master storage manager 140 or other component may also determinewhether certain storage-related or other criteria are satisfied, and mayperform an action or trigger event (e.g., data migration) in response tothe criteria being satisfied, such as where a storage threshold is metfor a particular volume, or where inadequate protection exists forcertain data. For instance, data from one or more storage operationcells is used to dynamically and automatically mitigate recognizedrisks, and/or to advise users of risks or suggest actions to mitigatethese risks. For example, an information management policy may specifycertain requirements (e.g., that a storage device should maintain acertain amount of free space, that secondary copies should occur at aparticular interval, that data should be aged and migrated to otherstorage after a particular period, that data on a secondary volumeshould always have a certain level of availability and be restorablewithin a given time period, that data on a secondary volume may bemirrored or otherwise migrated to a specified number of other volumes,etc.). If a risk condition or other criterion is triggered, the systemmay notify the user of these conditions and may suggest (orautomatically implement) a mitigation action to address the risk. Forexample, the system may indicate that data from a primary copy 112should be migrated to a secondary storage device 108 to free space onprimary storage device 104. Examples of the use of risk factors andother triggering criteria are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453.

In some embodiments, system 100 may also determine whether a metric orother indication satisfies particular storage criteria sufficient toperform an action. For example, a storage policy or other definitionmight indicate that a storage manager 140 should initiate a particularaction if a storage metric or other indication drops below or otherwisefails to satisfy specified criteria such as a threshold of dataprotection. In some embodiments, risk factors may be quantified intocertain measurable service or risk levels. For example, certainapplications and associated data may be considered to be more importantrelative to other data and services. Financial compliance data, forexample, may be of greater importance than marketing materials, etc.Network administrators may assign priority values or “weights” tocertain data and/or applications corresponding to the relativeimportance. The level of compliance of secondary copy operationsspecified for these applications may also be assigned a certain value.Thus, the health, impact, and overall importance of a service may bedetermined, such as by measuring the compliance value and calculatingthe product of the priority value and the compliance value to determinethe “service level” and comparing it to certain operational thresholdsto determine whether it is acceptable. Further examples of the servicelevel determination are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, which isincorporated by reference herein.

System 100 may additionally calculate data costing and data availabilityassociated with information management operation cells. For instance,data received from a cell may be used in conjunction withhardware-related information and other information about system elementsto determine the cost of storage and/or the availability of particulardata. Exemplary information generated could include how fast aparticular department is using up available storage space, how long datawould take to recover over a particular pathway from a particularsecondary storage device, costs over time, etc. Moreover, in someembodiments, such information may be used to determine or predict theoverall cost associated with the storage of certain information. Thecost associated with hosting a certain application may be based, atleast in part, on the type of media on which the data resides, forexample. Storage devices may be assigned to a particular costcategories, for example. Further examples of costing techniques aredescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453.

Any of the above types of information (e.g., information related totrending, predictions, job, cell or component status, risk, servicelevel, costing, etc.) can generally be provided to users via userinterface 158 in a single integrated view or console (not shown). Reporttypes may include: scheduling, event management, media management anddata aging. Available reports may also include backup history, dataaging history, auxiliary copy history, job history, library and drive,media in library, restore history, and storage policy, etc., withoutlimitation. Such reports may be specified and created at a certain pointin time as a system analysis, forecasting, or provisioning tool.Integrated reports may also be generated that illustrate storage andperformance metrics, risks and storage costing information. Moreover,users may create their own reports based on specific needs. Userinterface 158 can include an option to show a “virtual view” of thesystem that graphically depicts the various components in the systemusing appropriate icons. As one example, user interface 158 may providea graphical depiction of primary storage devices 104, secondary storagedevices 108, data agents 142 and/or media agents 144, and theirrelationship to one another in system 100.

In general, the operations management functionality of system 100 canfacilitate planning and decision-making. For example, in someembodiments, a user may view the status of some or all jobs as well asthe status of each component of information management system 100. Usersmay then plan and make decisions based on this data. For instance, auser may view high-level information regarding secondary copy operationsfor system 100, such as job status, component status, resource status(e.g., communication pathways, etc.), and other information. The usermay also drill down or use other means to obtain more detailedinformation regarding a particular component, job, or the like. Furtherexamples are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453.

Information management system 100 can also be configured to performsystem-wide e-discovery operations in some embodiments. In general,e-discovery operations provide a unified collection and searchcapability for data in the system, such as data stored in secondarystorage devices 108 (e.g., backups, archives, or other secondary copies116). For example, system 100 may construct and maintain a virtualrepository for data stored in system 100 that is integrated acrosssource applications 110, different storage device types, etc. Accordingto some embodiments, e-discovery utilizes other techniques describedherein, such as data classification and/or content indexing.

Information Management Policies

An information management policy 148 can include a data structure orother information source that specifies a set of parameters (e.g.,criteria and rules) associated with secondary copy and/or otherinformation management operations.

One type of information management policy 148 is a “storage policy.”According to certain embodiments, a storage policy generally comprises adata structure or other information source that defines (or includesinformation sufficient to determine) a set of preferences or othercriteria for performing information management operations. Storagepolicies can include one or more of the following: (1) what data will beassociated with the storage policy, e.g., subclient; (2) a destinationto which the data will be stored; (3) datapath information specifyinghow the data will be communicated to the destination; (4) the type ofsecondary copy operation to be performed; and (5) retention informationspecifying how long the data will be retained at the destination (see,e.g., FIG. 1E). Data associated with a storage policy can be logicallyorganized into subclients, which may represent primary data 112 and/orsecondary copies 116. A subclient may represent static or dynamicassociations of portions of a data volume. Subclients may representmutually exclusive portions. Thus, in certain embodiments, a portion ofdata may be given a label and the association is stored as a staticentity in an index, database or other storage location. Subclients mayalso be used as an effective administrative scheme of organizing dataaccording to data type, department within the enterprise, storagepreferences, or the like. Depending on the configuration, subclients cancorrespond to files, folders, virtual machines, databases, etc. In oneexemplary scenario, an administrator may find it preferable to separatee-mail data from financial data using two different subclients.

A storage policy can define where data is stored by specifying a targetor destination storage device (or group of storage devices). Forinstance, where the secondary storage device 108 includes a group ofdisk libraries, the storage policy may specify a particular disk libraryfor storing the subclients associated with the policy. As anotherexample, where the secondary storage devices 108 include one or moretape libraries, the storage policy may specify a particular tape libraryfor storing the subclients associated with the storage policy, and mayalso specify a drive pool and a tape pool defining a group of tapedrives and a group of tapes, respectively, for use in storing thesubclient data. While information in the storage policy can bestatically assigned in some cases, some or all of the information in thestorage policy can also be dynamically determined based on criteria,which can be set forth in the storage policy. For instance, based onsuch criteria, a particular destination storage device(s) or otherparameter of the storage policy may be determined based oncharacteristics associated with the data involved in a particularsecondary copy operation, device availability (e.g., availability of asecondary storage device 108 or a media agent 144), network status andconditions (e.g., identified bottlenecks), user credentials, and thelike.

Datapath information can also be included in the storage policy. Forinstance, the storage policy may specify network pathways and componentsto utilize when moving the data to the destination storage device(s). Insome embodiments, the storage policy specifies one or more media agents144 for conveying data associated with the storage policy between thesource and destination. A storage policy can also specify the type(s) ofoperations associated with the storage policy, such as a backup,archive, snapshot, auxiliary copy, or the like. Furthermore, retentionparameters can specify how long the resulting secondary copies 116 willbe kept (e.g., a number of days, months, years, etc.), perhaps dependingon organizational needs and/or compliance criteria.

Another type of information management policy 148 is a “schedulingpolicy,” which specifies when and how often to perform operations.Scheduling parameters may specify with what frequency (e.g., hourly,weekly, daily, event-based, etc.) or under what triggering conditionssecondary copy or other information management operations are to takeplace. Scheduling policies in some cases are associated with particularcomponents, such as a subclient, client computing device 102, and thelike.

When adding a new client computing device 102, administrators canmanually configure information management policies 148 and/or othersettings, e.g., via user interface 158. However, this can be an involvedprocess resulting in delays, and it may be desirable to begin dataprotection operations quickly, without awaiting human intervention.Thus, in some embodiments, system 100 automatically applies a defaultconfiguration to client computing device 102. As one example, when oneor more data agent(s) 142 are installed on a client computing device102, the installation script may register the client computing device102 with storage manager 140, which in turn applies the defaultconfiguration to the new client computing device 102. In this manner,data protection operations can begin substantially immediately. Thedefault configuration can include a default storage policy, for example,and can specify any appropriate information sufficient to begin dataprotection operations. This can include a type of data protectionoperation, scheduling information, a target secondary storage device108, data path information (e.g., a particular media agent 144), and thelike.

Another type of information management policy 148 is an “audit policy”(or security policy), which comprises preferences, rules and/or criteriathat protect sensitive data in information management system 100. Forexample, an audit policy may define “sensitive objects” which are filesor data objects that contain particular keywords (e.g., “confidential,”or “privileged”) and/or are associated with particular keywords (e.g.,in metadata) or particular flags (e.g., in metadata identifying adocument or email as personal, confidential, etc.). An audit policy mayfurther specify rules for handling sensitive objects. As an example, anaudit policy may require that a reviewer approve the transfer of anysensitive objects to a cloud storage site, and that if approval isdenied for a particular sensitive object, the sensitive object should betransferred to a local primary storage device 104 instead. To facilitatethis approval, the audit policy may further specify how a secondarystorage computing device 106 or other system component should notify areviewer that a sensitive object is slated for transfer.

Another type of information management policy 148 is a “provisioningpolicy,” which can include preferences, priorities, rules, and/orcriteria that specify how client computing devices 102 (or groupsthereof) may utilize system resources, such as available storage oncloud storage and/or network bandwidth. A provisioning policy specifies,for example, data quotas for particular client computing devices 102(e.g., a number of gigabytes that can be stored monthly, quarterly orannually). Storage manager 140 or other components may enforce theprovisioning policy. For instance, media agents 144 may enforce thepolicy when transferring data to secondary storage devices 108. If aclient computing device 102 exceeds a quota, a budget for the clientcomputing device 102 (or associated department) may be adjustedaccordingly or an alert may trigger.

While the above types of information management policies 148 have beendescribed as separate policies, one or more of these can be generallycombined into a single information management policy 148. For instance,a storage policy may also include or otherwise be associated with one ormore scheduling, audit, or provisioning policies or operationalparameters thereof. Moreover, while storage policies are typicallyassociated with moving and storing data, other policies may beassociated with other types of information management operations. Thefollowing is a non-exhaustive list of items that information managementpolicies 148 may specify:

-   -   schedules or other timing information, e.g., specifying when        and/or how often to perform information management operations;    -   the type of secondary copy 116 and/or copy format (e.g.,        snapshot, backup, archive, HSM, etc.);    -   a location or a class or quality of storage for storing        secondary copies 116 (e.g., one or more particular secondary        storage devices 108);    -   preferences regarding whether and how to encrypt, compress,        deduplicate, or otherwise modify or transform secondary copies        116;    -   which system components and/or network pathways (e.g., preferred        media agents 144) should be used to perform secondary storage        operations;    -   resource allocation among different computing devices or other        system components used in performing information management        operations (e.g., bandwidth allocation, available storage        capacity, etc.);    -   whether and how to synchronize or otherwise distribute files or        other data objects across multiple computing devices or hosted        services; and    -   retention information specifying the length of time primary data        112 and/or secondary copies 116 should be retained, e.g., in a        particular class or tier of storage devices, or within the        system 100.

Information management policies 148 can additionally specify or dependon historical or current criteria that may be used to determine whichrules to apply to a particular data object, system component, orinformation management operation, such as:

-   -   frequency with which primary data 112 or a secondary copy 116 of        a data object or metadata has been or is predicted to be used,        accessed, or modified;    -   time-related factors (e.g., aging information such as time since        the creation or modification of a data object);    -   deduplication information (e.g., hashes, data blocks,        deduplication block size, deduplication efficiency or other        metrics);    -   an estimated or historic usage or cost associated with different        components (e.g., with secondary storage devices 108);    -   the identity of users, applications 110, client computing        devices 102 and/or other computing devices that created,        accessed, modified, or otherwise utilized primary data 112 or        secondary copies 116;    -   a relative sensitivity (e.g., confidentiality, importance) of a        data object, e.g., as determined by its content and/or metadata;    -   the current or historical storage capacity of various storage        devices;    -   the current or historical network capacity of network pathways        connecting various components within the storage operation cell;    -   access control lists or other security information; and    -   the content of a particular data object (e.g., its textual        content) or of metadata associated with the data object.

Exemplary Storage Policy and Secondary Copy Operations

FIG. 1E includes a data flow diagram depicting performance of secondarycopy operations by an embodiment of information management system 100,according to an exemplary storage policy 148A. System 100 includes astorage manager 140, a client computing device 102 having a file systemdata agent 142A and an email data agent 142B operating thereon, aprimary storage device 104, two media agents 144A, 144B, and twosecondary storage devices 108: a disk library 108A and a tape library108B. As shown, primary storage device 104 includes primary data 112A,which is associated with a logical grouping of data associated with afile system (“file system subclient”), and primary data 112B, which is alogical grouping of data associated with email (“email subclient”). Thetechniques described with respect to FIG. 1E can be utilized inconjunction with data that is otherwise organized as well.

As indicated by the dashed box, the second media agent 144B and tapelibrary 108B are “off-site,” and may be remotely located from the othercomponents in system 100 (e.g., in a different city, office building,etc.). Indeed, “off-site” may refer to a magnetic tape located in remotestorage, which must be manually retrieved and loaded into a tape driveto be read. In this manner, information stored on the tape library 108Bmay provide protection in the event of a disaster or other failure atthe main site(s) where data is stored.

The file system subclient 112A in certain embodiments generallycomprises information generated by the file system and/or operatingsystem of client computing device 102, and can include, for example,file system data (e.g., regular files, file tables, mount points, etc.),operating system data (e.g., registries, event logs, etc.), and thelike. The e-mail subclient 112B can include data generated by an e-mailapplication operating on client computing device 102, e.g., mailboxinformation, folder information, emails, attachments, associateddatabase information, and the like. As described above, the subclientscan be logical containers, and the data included in the correspondingprimary data 112A and 112B may or may not be stored contiguously.

The exemplary storage policy 148A includes backup copy preferences (orrule set) 160, disaster recovery copy preferences or rule set 162, andcompliance copy preferences or rule set 164. Backup copy rule set 160specifies that it is associated with file system subclient 166 and emailsubclient 168. Each of subclients 166 and 168 are associated with theparticular client computing device 102. Backup copy rule set 160 furtherspecifies that the backup operation will be written to disk library 108Aand designates a particular media agent 144A to convey the data to disklibrary 108A. Finally, backup copy rule set 160 specifies that backupcopies created according to rule set 160 are scheduled to be generatedhourly and are to be retained for 30 days. In some other embodiments,scheduling information is not included in storage policy 148A and isinstead specified by a separate scheduling policy.

Disaster recovery copy rule set 162 is associated with the same twosubclients 166 and 168. However, disaster recovery copy rule set 162 isassociated with tape library 108B, unlike backup copy rule set 160.Moreover, disaster recovery copy rule set 162 specifies that a differentmedia agent, namely 144B, will convey data to tape library 108B.Disaster recovery copies created according to rule set 162 will beretained for 60 days and will be generated daily. Disaster recoverycopies generated according to disaster recovery copy rule set 162 canprovide protection in the event of a disaster or other catastrophic dataloss that would affect the backup copy 116A maintained on disk library108A.

Compliance copy rule set 164 is only associated with the email subclient168, and not the file system subclient 166. Compliance copies generatedaccording to compliance copy rule set 164 will therefore not includeprimary data 112A from the file system subclient 166. For instance, theorganization may be under an obligation to store and maintain copies ofemail data for a particular period of time (e.g., 10 years) to complywith state or federal regulations, while similar regulations do notapply to file system data. Compliance copy rule set 164 is associatedwith the same tape library 108B and media agent 144B as disasterrecovery copy rule set 162, although a different storage device or mediaagent could be used in other embodiments. Finally, compliance copy ruleset 164 specifies that copies generated under compliance copy rule set164 will be retained for 10 years and will be generated quarterly.

Secondary Copy Jobs

A logical grouping of secondary copy operations governed by a rule setand being initiated at a point in time may be referred to as a“secondary copy job” and sometimes may be called a “backup job,” eventhough it is not necessarily limited to creating backup copies.Secondary copy jobs may be initiated on demand as well. Steps 1-9 belowillustrate three secondary copy jobs based on storage policy 148A.

At step 1, storage manager 140 initiates a backup job according to thebackup copy rule set 160, which logically comprises all the secondarycopy operations necessary to effectuate rules 160 in storage policy 148Aevery hour, including steps 1-4 occurring hourly. For instance, ascheduling service running on storage manager 140 accesses backup copyrule set 160 or a separate scheduling policy associated with clientcomputing device 102 and initiates a backup job on an hourly basis.Thus, at the scheduled time, storage manager 140 sends instructions toclient computing device 102 (i.e., to both data agent 142A and dataagent 142B) to begin the backup job.

At step 2, file system data agent 142A and email data agent 142Boperating on client computing device 102 respond to the instructionsreceived from storage manager 140 by accessing and processing therespective subclient primary data 112A and 112B involved in the backupcopy operation, which can be found in primary storage device 104.Because the secondary copy operation is a backup copy operation, thedata agent(s) 142A, 142B may format the data into a backup format orotherwise process the data suitable for a backup copy.

At step 3, client computing device 102 (e.g., using file system dataagent 142A) communicates the processed data to the first media agent144A according to backup copy rule set 160, as directed by storagemanager 140. Storage manager 140 may further keep a record in managementdatabase 146 of the association between media agent 144A and one or moreof: client computing device 102, file system data agent 142A, and/orbackup copy 116A.

The target media agent 144A receives the data-agent-processed data fromclient computing device 102, and at step 4 generates and conveys backupcopy 116A to disk library 108A to be stored as backup copy 116A, againat the direction of storage manager 140 and according to backup copyrule set 160. Media agent 144A can also update its index 153 to includedata and/or metadata related to backup copy 116A, such as informationindicating where the backup copy 116A resides on disk library 108A, dataand metadata for cache retrieval, etc. Storage manager 140 may similarlyupdate its index 150 to include information relating to the secondarycopy operation, such as information relating to the type of operation, aphysical location associated with one or more copies created by theoperation, the time the operation was performed, status informationrelating to the operation, the components involved in the operation, andthe like. In some cases, storage manager 140 may update its index 150 toinclude some or all of the information stored in index 153 of mediaagent 144A. At this point, the backup job may be considered complete.After the 30-day retention period expires, storage manager 140 instructsmedia agent 144A to delete backup copy 116A from disk library 108A andindexes 150 and/or 153 are updated accordingly.

At step 5, storage manager 140 initiates another backup job according tothe disaster recovery rule set 162. Illustratively this includes steps5-7 occurring daily for creating disaster recovery copy 116B. Disasterrecovery copy 116B will be based on backup copy 116A and not on primarydata 112A and 112B.

At step 6, illustratively based on instructions received from storagemanager 140 at step 5, the specified media agent 144B retrieves the mostrecent backup copy 116A from disk library 108A.

At step 7, again at the direction of storage manager 140 and asspecified in disaster recovery copy rule set 162, media agent 144B usesthe retrieved data to create a disaster recovery copy 116B and store itto tape library 108B. In some cases, disaster recovery copy 116B is adirect, mirror copy of backup copy 116A, and remains in the backupformat. In other embodiments, disaster recovery copy 1166 may begenerated in some other manner, such as by using primary data 112A, 112Bfrom primary storage device 104 as source data. The disaster recoverycopy operation is initiated once a day and disaster recovery copies 1166are deleted after 60 days; indexes 153 and/or 150 are updatedaccordingly when/after each information management operation is executedand/or completed. The present backup job may be considered to becomplete.

At step 8, storage manager 140 initiates another backup job according tocompliance rule set 164, which includes steps 8-9 occurring quarterlyfor creating compliance copy 116C. For instance, storage manager 140instructs media agent 144B to create compliance copy 116C on tapelibrary 108B, as specified in the compliance copy rule set 164.

At step 9 in the example, compliance copy 116C is generated usingdisaster recovery copy 116B as the source. In other embodiments,compliance copy 116C is instead generated using primary data 112Bcorresponding to the email subclient or using backup copy 116A from disklibrary 108A as source data. As specified in the illustrated example,compliance copies 116C are created quarterly, and are deleted after tenyears, and indexes 153 and/or 150 are kept up-to-date accordingly.

Exemplary Applications of Storage Policies—Information GovernancePolicies and Classification

Storage manager 140 may permit a user to specify aspects of storagepolicy 148A. For example, the storage policy can be modified to includeinformation governance policies to define how data should be managed inorder to comply with a certain regulation or business objective. Thevarious policies may be stored, for example, in management database 146.An information governance policy may align with one or more compliancetasks that are imposed by regulations or business requirements. Examplesof information governance policies might include a Sarbanes-Oxleypolicy, a HIPAA policy, an electronic discovery (e-discovery) policy,and so on.

Information governance policies allow administrators to obtain differentperspectives on an organization's online and offline data, without theneed for a dedicated data silo created solely for each differentviewpoint. As described previously, the data storage systems hereinbuild an index that reflects the contents of a distributed data set thatspans numerous clients and storage devices, including both primary dataand secondary copies, and online and offline copies. An organization mayapply multiple information governance policies in a top-down manner overthat unified data set and indexing schema in order to view andmanipulate the data set through different lenses, each of which isadapted to a particular compliance or business goal. Thus, for example,by applying an e-discovery policy and a Sarbanes-Oxley policy, twodifferent groups of users in an organization can conduct two verydifferent analyses of the same underlying physical set of data/copies,which may be distributed throughout the information management system.

An information governance policy may comprise a classification policy,which defines a taxonomy of classification terms or tags relevant to acompliance task and/or business objective. A classification policy mayalso associate a defined tag with a classification rule. Aclassification rule defines a particular combination of criteria, suchas users who have created, accessed or modified a document or dataobject; file or application types; content or metadata keywords; clientsor storage locations; dates of data creation and/or access; reviewstatus or other status within a workflow (e.g., reviewed orun-reviewed); modification times or types of modifications; and/or anyother data attributes in any combination, without limitation. Aclassification rule may also be defined using other classification tagsin the taxonomy. The various criteria used to define a classificationrule may be combined in any suitable fashion, for example, via Booleanoperators, to define a complex classification rule. As an example, ane-discovery classification policy might define a classification tag“privileged” that is associated with documents or data objects that (1)were created or modified by legal department staff, or (2) were sent toor received from outside counsel via email, or (3) contain one of thefollowing keywords: “privileged” or “attorney” or “counsel,” or otherlike terms. Accordingly, all these documents or data objects will beclassified as “privileged.”

One specific type of classification tag, which may be added to an indexat the time of indexing, is an “entity tag.” An entity tag may be, forexample, any content that matches a defined data mask format. Examplesof entity tags might include, e.g., social security numbers (e.g., anynumerical content matching the formatting mask XXX-XX-XXXX), credit cardnumbers (e.g., content having a 13-16 digit string of numbers), SKUnumbers, product numbers, etc. A user may define a classification policyby indicating criteria, parameters or descriptors of the policy via agraphical user interface, such as a form or page with fields to befilled in, pull-down menus or entries allowing one or more of severaloptions to be selected, buttons, sliders, hypertext links or other knownuser interface tools for receiving user input, etc. For example, a usermay define certain entity tags, such as a particular product number orproject ID code that is relevant in the organization. In someimplementations, the classification policy can be implemented usingcloud-based techniques. For example, the storage devices may be cloudstorage devices, and the storage manager 140 may execute cloud serviceprovider API over a network to classify data stored on cloud storagedevices.

Restore Operations from Secondary Copies

While not shown in FIG. 1E, at some later point in time, a restoreoperation can be initiated involving one or more of secondary copies116A, 1166, 116C. A restore operation logically takes a selectedsecondary copy 116, reverses the effects of the secondary copy operationthat created it, and stores the restored data to primary storage where aclient computing device 102 may properly access it as primary data. Amedia agent 144 and an appropriate data agent 142 (e.g., executing onthe client computing device 102) perform the tasks needed to complete arestore operation. For example, data that was encrypted, compressed,and/or deduplicated in the creation of secondary copy 116 will becorrespondingly rehydrated (reversing deduplication), uncompressed, andunencrypted into a format appropriate to primary data. In general,restored data should be indistinguishable from other primary data 112.Preferably, the restored data has fully regained the native format thatmay make it immediately usable by application 110.

As one example, a user may manually initiate a restore of backup copy116A, e.g., by interacting with user interface 158 of storage manager140 or with a web-based console with access to system 100. Storagemanager 140 may accesses data in its index 150 and/or managementdatabase 146 (and/or the respective storage policy 148A) associated withthe selected backup copy 116A to identify the appropriate media agent144A and/or secondary storage device 108A where the secondary copyresides. The user may be presented with a representation (e.g., stub,thumbnail, listing, etc.) and metadata about the selected secondarycopy, in order to determine whether this is the appropriate copy to berestored, e.g., date that the original primary data was created. Storagemanager 140 will then instruct media agent 144A and an appropriate dataagent 142 to restore secondary copy 116A to primary storage device 104.A media agent may be selected for use in the restore operation based ona load balancing algorithm, an availability based algorithm, or othercriteria. The selected media agent, e.g., 144A, retrieves secondary copy116A from disk library 108A. For instance, media agent 144A may accessits index 153 to identify a location of backup copy 116A on disk library108A, or may access location information residing on disk library 108Aitself.

In some cases when backup copy 116A was recently created or accessed,caching may speed up the restore operation. In such a case, media agent144A accesses a cached version of backup copy 116A residing in index153, without having to access disk library 108A for some or all of thedata. Once it has retrieved backup copy 116A, the media agent 144Acommunicates the data to the requesting client computing device 102.Upon receipt, file system data agent 142A and email data agent 142B mayunpackage (e.g., restore from a backup format to the native applicationformat) the data in backup copy 116A and restore the unpackaged data toprimary storage device 104. In general, secondary copies 116 may berestored to the same volume or folder in primary storage device 104 fromwhich the secondary copy was derived; to another storage location orclient computing device 102; to shared storage. In some cases the datamay be restored so that it may be used by an application 110 of adifferent version/vintage from the application that created the originalprimary data 112.

Exemplary Secondary Copy Formatting

The formatting and structure of secondary copies 116 can vary dependingon the embodiment. In some cases, secondary copies 116 are formatted asa series of logical data units or “chunks” (e.g., 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4GB, or 8 GB chunks). This can facilitate efficient communication andwriting to secondary storage devices 108, e.g., according to resourceavailability. For example, a single secondary copy 116 may be written ona chunk-by-chunk basis to one or more secondary storage devices 108. Insome cases, users can select different chunk sizes, e.g., to improvethroughput to tape storage devices. Generally, each chunk can include aheader and a payload. The payload can include files (or other dataunits) or subsets thereof included in the chunk, whereas the chunkheader generally includes metadata relating to the chunk, some or all ofwhich may be derived from the payload. For example, during a secondarycopy operation, media agent 144, storage manager 140, or other componentmay divide files into chunks and generate headers for each chunk byprocessing the files. The headers can include a variety of informationsuch as file identifier(s), volume(s), offset(s), or other informationassociated with the payload data items, a chunk sequence number, etc.Importantly, in addition to being stored with secondary copy 116 onsecondary storage device 108, the chunk headers can also be stored toindex 153 of the associated media agent(s) 144 and/or to index 150associated with storage manager 140. This can be useful in some casesfor providing faster processing of secondary copies 116 during browsing,restores, or other operations. In some cases, once a chunk issuccessfully transferred to a secondary storage device 108, thesecondary storage device 108 returns an indication of receipt, e.g., tomedia agent 144 and/or storage manager 140, which may update theirrespective indexes 153, 150 accordingly. During restore, chunks may beprocessed (e.g., by media agent 144) according to the information in thechunk header to reassemble the files.

Data can also be communicated within system 100 in data channels thatconnect client computing devices 102 to secondary storage devices 108.These data channels can be referred to as “data streams,” and multipledata streams can be employed to parallelize an information managementoperation, improving data transfer rate, among other advantages. Exampledata formatting techniques including techniques involving datastreaming, chunking, and the use of other data structures in creatingsecondary copies are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,315,923 8,156,086,and 8,578,120.

FIGS. 1F and 1G are diagrams of example data streams 170 and 171,respectively, which may be employed for performing informationmanagement operations. Referring to FIG. 1F, data agent 142 forms datastream 170 from source data associated with a client computing device102 (e.g., primary data 112). Data stream 170 is composed of multiplepairs of stream header 172 and stream data (or stream payload) 174. Datastreams 170 and 171 shown in the illustrated example are for asingle-instanced storage operation, and a stream payload 174 thereforemay include both single-instance (SI) data and/or non-SI data. A streamheader 172 includes metadata about the stream payload 174. This metadatamay include, for example, a length of the stream payload 174, anindication of whether the stream payload 174 is encrypted, an indicationof whether the stream payload 174 is compressed, an archive fileidentifier (ID), an indication of whether the stream payload 174 issingle instanceable, and an indication of whether the stream payload 174is a start of a block of data.

Referring to FIG. 1G, data stream 171 has the stream header 172 andstream payload 174 aligned into multiple data blocks. In this example,the data blocks are of size 64 KB. The first two stream header 172 andstream payload 174 pairs comprise a first data block of size 64 KB. Thefirst stream header 172 indicates that the length of the succeedingstream payload 174 is 63 KB and that it is the start of a data block.The next stream header 172 indicates that the succeeding stream payload174 has a length of 1 KB and that it is not the start of a new datablock. Immediately following stream payload 174 is a pair comprising anidentifier header 176 and identifier data 178. The identifier header 176includes an indication that the succeeding identifier data 178 includesthe identifier for the immediately previous data block. The identifierdata 178 includes the identifier that the data agent 142 generated forthe data block. The data stream 171 also includes other stream header172 and stream payload 174 pairs, which may be for SI data and/or non-SIdata.

FIG. 1H is a diagram illustrating data structures 180 that may be usedto store blocks of SI data and non-SI data on a storage device (e.g.,secondary storage device 108). According to certain embodiments, datastructures 180 do not form part of a native file system of the storagedevice. Data structures 180 include one or more volume folders 182, oneor more chunk folders 184/185 within the volume folder 182, and multiplefiles within chunk folder 184. Each chunk folder 184/185 includes ametadata file 186/187, a metadata index file 188/189, one or morecontainer files 190/191/193, and a container index file 192/194.Metadata file 186/187 stores non-SI data blocks as well as links to SIdata blocks stored in container files. Metadata index file 188/189stores an index to the data in the metadata file 186/187. Containerfiles 190/191/193 store SI data blocks. Container index file 192/194stores an index to container files 190/191/193. Among other things,container index file 192/194 stores an indication of whether acorresponding block in a container file 190/191/193 is referred to by alink in a metadata file 186/187. For example, data block B2 in thecontainer file 190 is referred to by a link in metadata file 187 inchunk folder 185. Accordingly, the corresponding index entry incontainer index file 192 indicates that data block B2 in container file190 is referred to. As another example, data block B1 in container file191 is referred to by a link in metadata file 187, and so thecorresponding index entry in container index file 192 indicates thatthis data block is referred to.

As an example, data structures 180 illustrated in FIG. 1H may have beencreated as a result of separate secondary copy operations involving twoclient computing devices 102. For example, a first secondary copyoperation on a first client computing device 102 could result in thecreation of the first chunk folder 184, and a second secondary copyoperation on a second client computing device 102 could result in thecreation of the second chunk folder 185. Container files 190/191 in thefirst chunk folder 184 would contain the blocks of SI data of the firstclient computing device 102. If the two client computing devices 102have substantially similar data, the second secondary copy operation onthe data of the second client computing device 102 would result in mediaagent 144 storing primarily links to the data blocks of the first clientcomputing device 102 that are already stored in the container files190/191. Accordingly, while a first secondary copy operation may resultin storing nearly all of the data subject to the operation, subsequentsecondary storage operations involving similar data may result insubstantial data storage space savings, because links to already storeddata blocks can be stored instead of additional instances of datablocks.

If the operating system of the secondary storage computing device 106 onwhich media agent 144 operates supports sparse files, then when mediaagent 144 creates container files 190/191/193, it can create them assparse files. A sparse file is a type of file that may include emptyspace (e.g., a sparse file may have real data within it, such as at thebeginning of the file and/or at the end of the file, but may also haveempty space in it that is not storing actual data, such as a contiguousrange of bytes all having a value of zero). Having container files190/191/193 be sparse files allows media agent 144 to free up space incontainer files 190/191/193 when blocks of data in container files190/191/193 no longer need to be stored on the storage devices. In someexamples, media agent 144 creates a new container file 190/191/193 whena container file 190/191/193 either includes 100 blocks of data or whenthe size of the container file 190 exceeds 50 MB. In other examples,media agent 144 creates a new container file 190/191/193 when acontainer file 190/191/193 satisfies other criteria (e.g., it containsfrom approximately 100 to approximately 1000 blocks or when its sizeexceeds approximately 50 MB to 1 GB). In some cases, a file on which asecondary copy operation is performed may comprise a large number ofdata blocks. For example, a 100 MB file may comprise 400 data blocks ofsize 256 KB. If such a file is to be stored, its data blocks may spanmore than one container file, or even more than one chunk folder. Asanother example, a database file of 20 GB may comprise over 40,000 datablocks of size 512 KB. If such a database file is to be stored, its datablocks will likely span multiple container files, multiple chunkfolders, and potentially multiple volume folders. Restoring such filesmay require accessing multiple container files, chunk folders, and/orvolume folders to obtain the requisite data blocks.

Using Backup Data for Replication and Disaster Recovery (“LiveSynchronization”)

There is an increased demand to offload resource intensive informationmanagement tasks (e.g., data replication tasks) away from productiondevices (e.g., physical or virtual client computing devices) in order tomaximize production efficiency. At the same time, enterprises expectaccess to readily available, up-to-date recovery copies in the event offailure, with little or no production downtime.

FIG. 2A illustrates a system 200 configured to address these and otherissues by using backup or other secondary copy data to synchronize asource subsystem 201 (e.g., a production site) with a destinationsubsystem 203 (e.g., a failover site). Such a technique can be referredto as “live synchronization” and/or “live synchronization replication.”In the illustrated embodiment, the source client computing devices 202 ainclude one or more virtual machines (or “VMs”) executing on one or morecorresponding VM host computers 205 a. The destination site 203 may beat a location that is remote from the production site 201, for example,but may be located in the same data center, without limitation. One ormore of the production site 201 and destination site 203 may reside atdata centers at known geographic locations, or alternatively may operate“in the cloud.”

The synchronization can be achieved by generally applying an ongoingstream of incremental backups from the source subsystem 201 to thedestination subsystem 203, such as according to what can be referred toas an “incremental forever” approach. FIG. 2A illustrates an embodimentof a data flow which may be orchestrated at the direction of one or morestorage managers (not shown). At step 1 the source data agent(s) 242 aand source media agent(s) 244 a work together to write backup or othersecondary copies of the primary data generated by the source clientcomputing devices 202 a into the source secondary storage device(s) 208a. At step 2 the backup data is retrieved by the source media agent(s)244 a, and at step 3 the source media agent(s) 244 a communicate thebackup data across a network to the destination media agent(s) 244 b inthe destination subsystem 203.

As shown, the data can be copied in an incremental fashion, such thatonly changed blocks are transmitted. An example of live synchronizationof virtual machines is found in U.S. Patent Application No. 62/265,339entitled “Live Synchronization and Management of Virtual Machines acrossComputing and Virtualization Platforms and Using Live Synchronization toSupport Disaster Recovery,” which is incorporated by reference in itsentirety herein. Moreover, a deduplicated copy can be employed. Forinstance, the system can utilize one or more of the deduplicated copytechniques described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,239,687, entitled “Systems andMethods for Retaining and Using Data Block Signatures in Data ProtectionOperations,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.At step 4 the destination media agent(s) 244 b write the backup data tothe destination secondary storage device(s) 208 b. At step 5 thesynchronization is completed when the destination media agent(s) anddestination data agent(s) 242 restore the backup data to the clientcomputing device(s) 202 b. This synchronization/replication process canincorporate the techniques described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/721,971, entitled “Replication Using Deduplicated Secondary CopyData,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Where the incremental backups are applied on a frequent, on-going basis,the synchronized copies can be viewed as mirror or replication copies.Moreover, by applying the incremental backups to the destination site203 using backup data (or other secondary copy data), the productionsite 201 is not burdened with the synchronization operations. Becausethe failover site 203 can be maintained in a synchronized, “warm” state,the downtime for switching over from the production site 201 to thedestination site 203 is substantially less than with a typical restorefrom secondary storage. Thus, the production site 201 may flexibly andefficiently fail over, with minimal downtime and with relativelyup-to-date data, to a destination site 203, such as a cloud-basedfailover site. The destination site 203 can then be reverse synchronizedback to the production site 201, such as after repairs have beenimplemented or after the failure has passed.

Highly Scalable Managed Data Pool Architecture

Enterprises are seeing explosive data growth in recent years, often fromvarious applications running in geographically distributed locations.FIG. 2B shows a block diagram of an example of a highly scalable,managed data pool architecture useful in accommodating such data growth.The illustrated system 200, which may be referred to as a “web-scale”architecture according to certain embodiments, can be readilyincorporated into both open compute/storage and common-cloudarchitectures.

The illustrated system 200 includes a grid 245 of media agents 244logically organized into a control tier 231 and a secondary or storagetier 233. Media agents assigned to the storage tier 233 can beconfigured to manage a secondary storage pool 208 as a deduplicationstore, and be configured to receive client write and read requests fromthe primary storage subsystem 217, and direct those requests to thesecondary tier 233 for servicing. For instance, media agents CMA1-CMA3in the control tier 231 maintain and consult one or more deduplicationdatabases 247, which can include deduplication information (e.g., datablock hashes, data block links, file containers for deduplicated files,etc.) sufficient to read deduplicated files from the secondary storagepool 208 and write deduplicated files to the secondary storage pool 208.For instance, the system 200 can incorporate any of the deduplicationsystems and methods shown and described in greater detail in U.S. Pat.No. 9,020,900, entitled “Distributed Deduplicated Storage System,” andU.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2014/0201170, entitled “High Availability DistributedDeduplicated Storage System,” the entireties of which are herebyincorporated by reference herein.

Media agents SMA1-SMA6 assigned to the secondary tier 233 receive writeand read requests from the media agents CMA1-CMA3 in the control tier231, and access the secondary storage pool 208 to service thoserequests. The media agents CMA1-CMA3 in the control tier 231 can also beconnected to the secondary storage pool 208, and may execute read andwrite requests themselves (e.g., in response to requests from othercontrol media agents CMA1-CMA3) in addition to issuing requests to themedia agents in the secondary tier 233. Moreover, while shown asseparate from the secondary storage pool 208, the deduplicationdatabase(s) 247 can in some cases reside in storage devices in thesecondary storage pool 208.

As shown, each of the media agents 244 (e.g., CMA1-CMA3 and SMA1-SMA6)in the grid 245 can be allocated a corresponding dedicated partition251A-2511, respectively, in the secondary storage pool 208. Eachpartition 251 can include a first portion 253 containing data associatedwith (e.g., stored by) the media agent 244 corresponding to therespective partition 251. The system 200 can also implement a desiredlevel of replication, thereby providing redundancy in the event of afailure of a media agent 244 in the grid 245. Along these lines, eachpartition 251 can further include a second portion 255 storing one ormore replication copies of the data associated with one or more othermedia agents 244 in the grid.

The system 200 can also be configured to allow for seamless addition ofmedia agents 244 to the grid 245 via automatic configuration. As oneillustrative example, a storage manager (not shown) or other appropriatecomponent may determine that it is appropriate to add an additional nodeto the control tier 231, and perform some or all of the following: (i)assess the capabilities of a newly added or otherwise availablecomputing device as satisfying a minimum criteria to be configured as orhosting a media agent in the control tier 231; (ii) confirm that asufficient amount of the appropriate type of storage exists to supportan additional node in the control tier 231 (e.g., enough disk drivecapacity exists in the storage pool 208 to support an additionaldeduplication database 247); (iii) install appropriate media agentsoftware on the computing device and configure the computing deviceaccording to a pre-determined template; (iv) establish a partition 251in the storage pool 208 dedicated to the newly established media agent244; and (v) build any appropriate data structures (e.g., an instance ofthe deduplication database 247). An example of highly scalable manageddata pool architecture or so-called web-scale architecture for storageand data management is found in U.S. Patent Application No. 62/273,286entitled “Redundant and Robust Distributed Deduplication Data StorageSystem,” which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

The embodiments and components thereof disclosed in FIGS. 2A and 2B, aswell as those in FIGS. 1A-1H, may be implemented in any combination andpermutation to satisfy data storage management and informationmanagement needs at one or more locations and/or data centers.

Overview of Infinite Backup Using Network File System (NFS) Protocol

In some existing implementations, creating a backup of primary datastored on a computing device may be performed or facilitated by specialsoftware (e.g., data agent 142 of FIG. 1C) installed on the computingdevice. As discussed in the present disclosure, one or more data agentscan be configured to assist the data protection (or other informationmanagement) operations based on the type of data that is beingprotected, at a client-specific and/or application-specific level. Suchdata agents may comprise any of the data agent(s) 142 described in thepresent disclosure.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, improved data protectionoperations (also referred to herein as “infinite” backup operations) maybe performed by the applications running on the computing device usingstandard protocols such as the Network File System (NFS) protocol. NFSis a distributed file system protocol that allows access to files over anetwork as if the files were stored locally. For example, the mountcommand provided by the NFS protocol may be executed by a computingdevice (e.g., a client computing device storing client data to be backedup) to mount a shared NFS directory implemented by another computingdevice (e.g., a secondary storage device onto which the client data isto be backed up) connected to the computing device over a network. Insuch embodiments, the data agent(s) 142 described in the presentdisclosure may be remotely located from the computing device running theapplications. If the primary storage associated with the computingdevice is implemented by other computing system(s) (e.g., a cloudstorage system), the data agent(s) 142 may be remotely located from suchcomputing system(s).

After the computing device has mounted the shared NFS directory, thecomputing device can access the shared NFS directory as if the sharedNFS directory were a local directory on the computing device. Forexample, the computing device may copy data files from a local directory(e.g., stored in a primary data storage device attached to the computingdevice) over to the shared NFS directory. Once such data files have beencopied over to the shared NFS directory, another computing device thathas access to the shared NFS directory may perform data protection (orother information management) operations such as copying, archiving,migrating, replicating, encrypting, compressing, and/or deduplicating ofthe data files. For example, the application running on the clientcomputing device can be configured to simply back up client data to theshared NFS directory according to a backup schedule, in response toinstructions, or automatically, without being constrained by a fixedbackup window or other storage/timing restrictions, thereby achieving an“infinite” backup.

By performing data protection operations using a standard protocol thatis supported by various operating systems and applications withoutinstallation of special software, the need to install such specialsoftware on the client computing device to facilitate the dataprotection operations associated with such operating systems andapplications can be eliminated. According to the various embodimentsdescribed herein, such operating systems and applications can store thedata that is to be protected in a shared network directory that has beenmounted (or otherwise made accessible/available) using a standardprotocol, and data agents and/or media agents described herein can causethe data to be stored in a secondary storage location.

Although the NFS protocol is used as an example protocol that may beused to perform the infinite backup (or other information management)operations described herein, the techniques of the present disclosuremay be extended to any other standard protocols used for data transferand/or data sharing. Certain example embodiments for implementing theimproved backup process are described below with reference to FIGS. 3-6.

An Exemplary System for Implementing Improved Backup Process

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system 300configured to implement a data backup process in accordance with one ormore embodiments disclosed herein. As illustrated, the exemplary system300 includes a client computing device 302, a cloud storage system 304,a storage manager 306, a data agent 308, a media agent 310, and asecondary storage device 312. The client computing device 302 and/or thecloud storage system 304 may generally be referred to in some cases as aprimary storage subsystem 300A, and some or all of the storage manager306, the data agent 308, the media agent 310, and the secondary storagedevice 312 may sometimes be referred to as a secondary storage subsystem300B. In some embodiments, the storage manager 306 may be part of theprimary storage subsystem 300A instead of the secondary storagesubsystem 300B, or may be part of neither the primary storage subsystem300A nor the secondary storage subsystem 300B.

The client computing device 302 includes an application 314, NFS pathdata 318, and a primary storage device 316 storing data associated withthe application 314. In some embodiments, the client computing device302 may be a virtual machine running the application 314. Although notillustrated in FIG. 3, the client computing device 302 may furtherinclude one or more additional applications.

The application 314 may be a database application, a mail application,or any other application that may be installed on the client computingdevice 302. The application 314 may generate application data (e.g.,files containing information generated or processed by the application314) and store such application data in the primary storage device 316.The application data stored in the primary storage device 316 may bereferred to herein as primary data. Alternatively, or additionally, asecondary copy of the application data may be created by causing theapplication data to be transferred over a network connection and storedat least partially on a secondary storage device (e.g., the secondarystorage device 312), via a backup copy operation or another type ofappropriate secondary copy operation. Such a secondary copy may bereferred to herein as secondary data.

The application 314 may be capable of executing commands according tostandard protocols such as the NFS protocol. For example, theapplication 314 may be configured to execute a series of commands toexport the application data associated with the application 314 to alocal directory or a remote storage location. In such an example, theapplication 314 may execute a mount command provided by the NFS protocolto mount a shared NFS directory implemented by another computing device(e.g., the data agent 308, the media agent 310, or the secondary storagedevice 312) and copy or export its application data onto the mounted NFSdirectory according to a storage policy specified by the storage manager306. In this example, the application 314 operates as the NFS client,and the computing device implementing the NFS directory operates as theNFS server. The parameters needed to execute the mount command (e.g.,host name, path name, etc.) may be provided to the application 314 bythe storage manager 306.

In some embodiments, the local directory storing the application dataprocessed or generated by the application 314 is shared across a networkor on the cloud (e.g., via the cloud storage system 304). In suchembodiments, the data stored in the local directory may be modifiedand/or overwritten by other computing systems that also have access tothe local directory. For example, when a user on a client computingdevice modifies a local copy of the database stored in such a shareddirectory, the modification may be propagated to the correspondingcopies of the database on other client computing devices. In such anexample, any one of the users having access to the shared directory maymodify or delete the shared data, causing the data to become permanentlylost. Thus, to prevent such an outcome, it may be desirable toperiodically back up the local copy of the data stored in such adirectory onto a secondary storage device.

The NFS path data 318 may include information used by the application314 to cause the infinite backup operations described herein to beperformed using the NFS protocol. For example, the NFS path data 318 mayinclude one or more of the identity of the data agent 308, the identityof the media agent 310, the identity of the secondary storage device312, the backup location (e.g., the path name of the directory on theNFS server) at which the application data generated by the application314 is to be backed up, or other metadata that may be used by the NFSserver to determine the identity and/or the type of the client computingdevice 302, the application 314, and/or the data to be protected (e.g.,so that the infinite backup operation can be performed in aclient-specific, application-specific, and/or data-specific manner). Thebackup location associated with the backup may be referred to herein asnetwork path information (or path information). In a case that multipleapplications are installed on the client computing device 302, the NFSpath data 318 may include data associating each of such applicationswith the corresponding network path information.

Otherwise, the client computing device 302 (or one or more componentsthereof) may be the same or substantially similar to the clientcomputing device 102 (or one or more components thereof) described abovewith reference FIGS. 1A-1G. For example, the client computing device 302may further provide one or more functions of the client computing device102 described above.

The client computing device 302 may be connected to the cloud storagesystem 304 over a network. The cloud storage system 304 may include afile server 320 and a primary storage device 322. The cloud storagesystem 304 may be any type of network storage systems that areaccessible by the client computing device 302. In some embodiments, thecloud storage system 304 may include multiple file servers and/ormultiple primary storage devices. The cloud storage system 304 may be incommunication with the client computing device 302 via a wide areanetwork (WAN) connection (e.g., over the Internet). For instance, insome embodiments, some or all of client computing device 302, storagemanager 306, data agent 308, and media agent 310 communicate with oneanother over a local area network (LAN), while some or all of those samecomponents communicate with the cloud storage system 304 over a WAN. Thecloud storage system 304 according to certain embodiments may be hostedby a cloud service provider that provides cloud computing and/or cloudstorage services. In general, the term “cloud” as referred to inconnection with the cloud storage system 304 may refer to network-based(e.g., Internet- or other wide area network (WAN)-based) computing inwhich large groups of remote servers are networked and available over aWAN to allow centralized data storage and/or online access to computerservices or resources. Cloud storage may refer to a model of datastorage in which digital data is stored in logical pools, physicalstorage spans multiple servers and/or locations, and/or where thephysical environment is typically owned and managed by a third partythat is responsible for keeping the data available and accessible andkeeping the physical environment protected and running.

The file server 320 may be a computing device that is attached to theclient computing device 302 via a network and is configured to provideshared access (e.g., among various senders and recipients) to a commonfile repository. The file server 320 may communicate with the primarystorage device 322 to store the application data generated by theapplication 314 onto the primary storage device 322 in the cloud storagesystem 304. In some embodiments, the file server 320 may be anetwork-attached storage (NAS) server. The primary storage device 322may store the data received from the client computing device 302 as wellas any other data or software components that may be utilized in orderto operate the cloud storage system 304.

In certain cases, the cloud storage system 304 may become unavailabledue to power outage, unstable network connection, etc. Further, if thedirectory storing the primary data in the primary storage device 316 isshared across a network or on the cloud (e.g., via the cloud storagesystem 304), any one of the computing devices having access to theshared directory may modify or delete the shared data, causing the datato become permanently lost. Thus, to prevent data loss and to ensurecompliance with established communication policies or otheradministrative or legal restrictions, it may be desirable to protect theprimary data stored in the primary storage device 316 using the varioustechniques described herein (e.g., by causing the primary data to bebacked up to a secondary storage device using a standard protocol).

The storage manager 306 may configure the application 314 to back up itsdata using a standard protocol (e.g., NFS protocol). For example, thestorage manager 306 may configure the application 314 to copy some orall of the application data associated with the application 314 to ashared NFS directory that has been mounted on the client computingdevice 302 and made available/accessible by the application 314.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the storage manger 306 includes apseudo-client manager 324. The pseudo-client manager 324 may manage andstore data associated with pseudo-clients created on behalf of theclient computing device 302. In a case that the system 300 includesmultiple client computing devices, the pseudo-client manager 324 maycreate and maintain a pseudo-client for each of such client computingdevices. Alternatively, the pseudo-client manager 324 may create andmaintain a pseudo-client for each application (e.g., application 314).In some embodiments, the pseudo-client manager 324 may create andmaintain a pseudo-client for each of a subset of applications thatgenerates data that needs to be backed up to a secondary storagelocation.

The pseudo-client manager 324 may associate each pseudo-client with oneor more parameters such as pseudo-client ID, identity and/or type of theclient computing device, identity and/or type of the application,identity and/or type of the application data (e.g., database ID), and/orlocation of application data (e.g., a local directory in which theapplication data processed or generated by the application is stored).The pseudo-client manager 324 may further create and maintain a storagepolicy for each pseudo-client. Such a storage policy may specify howfrequently the data associated with the pseudo-client is to be backedup. For example, the storage policy may specify that the application 314is to export its application data to a designated local directory or ashared NFS directory every hour, at a specific time of day (e.g., 10:00PM every night), every month, or at any other time interval.Alternatively, or additionally, the storage policy may specify that theapplication 314 is to back up its application data every time a changeis made.

Otherwise, the storage manager 306 (or one or more components thereof)may be the same or substantially similar to the storage manager 140 (orone or more components thereof) described above with reference FIGS.1A-1G. For example, the storage manager 306 may further provide one ormore functions of the storage manager 140 described above.

Although a backup operation is used as an example data protectionoperation in connection with some embodiments of the present disclosure,the techniques described herein may be extended to other data protection(or other information management) operations.

The data agent 308 may be configured to receive data stored in theprimary storage device 316 and communicate with the media agent 310 tocause the received data to be stored in the secondary storage device312. For example, in response to receiving a copy of the applicationdata associated with the application 314 or detecting the presence ofthe application data in a shared NFS directory, the data agent 308 mayidentify the media agent associated with the application data andforward the application data to the appropriate media agent.

In one embodiment, the data agent 308 is running on hardware that isphysically separated from the client computing device 302 and/or thecloud storage system 304 (or any other physical hardware implementingthe client computing device 302 and/or the cloud storage system 304). Inanother embodiment, the data agent 308 is running on the same physicalhardware as the application 314 but on different virtual hardware thanthe application 314. In yet another embodiment, the data agent 308 islocated externally or remotely from the client computing device 302and/or the cloud storage system 304. In yet another embodiment, the dataagent 308 is running on a virtual machine that is different from avirtual machine running the application 314.

The data agent 308 (or one or more components thereof) may further beconfigured to provide one or more functions of the data agent 142 (orone or more components thereof) described above with reference FIGS.1A-1G.

The media agent 310 may be implemented as a software module thatmanages, coordinates, and facilitates the transmission of theapplication data received from the data agent 308 and/or the clientcomputing device 302 to and/or from the secondary storage device 312(e.g., between the client computing device 302 and the secondary storagedevice 312). Although the secondary storage device 312 is shown as asingle secondary storage device in the example of FIG. 3, it should beappreciated that any number of secondary storage devices may be used, asdescribed with reference to FIG. 1D. For example, upon receiving thedata to be protected from the client computing device 302 or the dataagent 308, the media agent 310 may route and/or store the received datato the appropriate secondary storage device 312, or modify or add to theexisting copy of the application data stored in the secondary storagedevice 312.

In some embodiments, the application 314 may export its application datadirectly to the data agent 308 or the media agent 310 using the NFSprotocol (e.g., by copying the application data onto a shared NFSdirectory hosted by the data agent 308 or the media agent 310). In otherembodiments, one of the local directories on the client computing device302 may be shared (e.g., with a data agent and/or media agent) using astandard protocol (e.g., NFS protocol). In some of such embodiments, theapplication 314 may be configured to periodically export its applicationdata to such a local directory, and the data agent 308 and/or the mediaagent 310 may access the application data stored in the directory over anetwork and cause the application data to be stored in the secondarystorage device 312.

The media agent 310 (or one or more components thereof) may further beconfigured to provide one or more functions of the media agent(s) 144(or one or more components thereof) described above with reference FIGS.1A-1G. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the media agent 310 may beimplemented on one or more corresponding secondary storage computingdevices as described previously (e.g., with respect to FIG. 1C).

Although the data agent 308 and the media agent 310 are illustrated inFIG. 3 as separate components, in some embodiments, both the data agent308 and the media agent 310 may be implemented by a single component (asindicated by the dashed line encompassing the data agent 308 and themedia agent 310). In one example, the data agent 308 and the media agent310 may be replaced by a media agent that is configured to perform thefunctions of the data agent 308 and the media agent 310 describedherein.

The secondary storage device 312 may store a backup copy of theapplication data stored in the primary storage device 316. In someembodiments, the secondary storage device 312 may store other data inaddition to those described in the present disclosure.

Otherwise, the secondary storage device 312 (or one or more componentsthereof) may be substantially the same or similar to the secondarystorage 108 (or one or more components thereof) described above withreference FIGS. 1A-1G. For example, the secondary storage device 312 mayfurther provide one or more functions of the secondary storage device108 described above.

The system 300 and corresponding components of FIG. 3 may further beconfigured to provide one or more functions of the system 100 andsimilarly named components shown in any of FIGS. 1A-1H, whereapplicable, such as FIG. 1D. Moreover, depending on the embodiment, thesystem 300 of FIG. 3 may additionally include any of the othercomponents shown in FIG. 1D that are not specifically shown in FIG. 3.The system 300 may include one or more of each component. All componentsof the system 300 can be in direct communication with each other orcommunicate indirectly via the client computing device 302, the storagemanager 306, the data agent 308, the media agent 310, or the like. Incertain embodiments, some of the components in FIG. 3 shown as separatecomponents can reside on a single computing device. Alternatively, oradditionally, one or more components shown in FIG. 3 as residing on asingle computing device can be distributed across multiple devices.

An Example Flow Diagram Illustrating Network Path Information GenerationProcess

FIG. 4 is flow diagram illustrative of one embodiment of a routine 400for generating network path information associated with a standardprotocol. The routine 400 is described with respect to the system 300 ofFIG. 3. However, one or more of the steps of routine 400 may beimplemented by other information management systems, such as thosedescribed in greater detail above with reference to FIG. 1D. The routine400 can be implemented by any one, or a combination of, a client, astorage manager, a data agent, a media agent, and the like. Although thesteps in the routine 400 are described as being performed by the dataagent 308 of the system 300, the embodiments discussed herein are notlimited as such, and the steps in the routine 400 may be performed byother components of the system 300, either alone or in combination.

At block 402, the data agent 308 receives a request to generate networkpath information. Such a request may be received from the storagemanager 306. Along with the request, the storage manager 306 may provideclient information related to the pseudo-client associated with theapplication 314 of the client computing device 302. For example, suchclient information may include the identity of the client computingdevice 302 (e.g., “client_machine_x1,” “client_machine_x2,” etc.), theidentity of the application 314 (e.g., Microsoft Outlook, Oracle, etc.),the application type associated with the application 314 (e.g., mailapplication, database application, etc.), the data type associated withthe application data generated by the application 314 (e.g., mail data,database data, etc.), the identity of the data to be protected (e.g.,the name of the mail folder, the name of the database, etc.), and thelike.

At block 404, the data agent 308 generates network path informationbased on the received client information. The network path informationmay be a unique string that is generated and stored in association withat least some of the received client information (or other metadatagenerated based on the received client information). The data agent 308may create and maintain such an association in a mapping table or anyother data structure. In some embodiments, the data agent 308 may createor update an index (e.g., index 150) storing data associating a clientcomputing device (or a pseudo-client associated with the clientcomputing device) with a particular media agent and/or secondary storagedevice. For example, an updated index may include data associating thepseudo-client associated with the generated network path informationwith the media agent 310 and/or the secondary storage device 312.

In some embodiment, the network path information may be metadata (e.g.,a unique string) that may be used by the NFS server (e.g., data agent308 or media agent 310) to determine the identity and/or the type of theclient computing device 302, the application 314, and/or the data to beprotected (e.g., so that the infinite backup operation can be performedin a client-specific, application-specific, and/or data-specificmanner). In other embodiments, the network path information may identifythe path to the shared NFS directory (e.g., on the NFS server hostingthe directory) to which the client data associated with the clientinformation is to be stored. For example, the generated network pathinformation may be “/client_machine_x1/app_24/”. The data agent 308 mayalso cause a shared NFS directory corresponding to the network pathinformation to be created. The network path information may identify alocation within the secondary storage device (e.g., the secondarystorage device 312) in which the client data is stored (e.g., backedup). Alternatively, the network path information may identify atemporary location in which the client data is temporarily stored beforea backup copy of the client data is stored in a secondary storagedevice.

At block 406, the data agent 308 transmits the generated network pathinformation to the storage manager 306. The data agent 308 may furthertransmit the identity of the media agent 310 that is configured tohandle the infinite backup operations associated with the generatednetwork path information. The storage manager 306 may store the receivednetwork path information in association with the pseudo-client createdon behalf of the client computing device 302 (or the application 314).For example, the information maintained by the storage manager 306 forthe pseudo-client corresponding to the application 314 of the clientcomputing device 302 may specify that the application 314 is a databaseapplication configured to generate database data, which is to be backedup by sending a request to mount the shared NFS directory“/client_machine_x1/app_24/” to the media agent “media_agent_y3”. Insome embodiments, the storage manager 306 (or the data agent 308)maintains such information in a storage location accessible by both thestorage manager 306 and the data agent 308.

At block 408, the data agent 308 receives, from the client computingdevice 302, a request to store a copy of the application data currentlystored on the primary storage device 316 onto a secondary storagelocation. For example, the request may be an NFS mount requestspecifying the network path information previously generated by the dataagent 308 and provided to the storage manager 306. Although not shown inFIG. 4, between blocks 406 and 408, the storage manager 306 may providethe client computing device 302 with the network path information andthe NFS server information. Using the network path information includedin the request, the data agent 308 may determine the details of theclient computing device 302 and the nature of the request (e.g., forwhich client the backup is to be performed, for which application, towhich storage location, using which media agent, etc.). After the sharedNFS directory has been mounted on the client computing device 302, theapplication 314 may copy the application data that to be backed up(e.g., according to instructions provided by the storage manager 306 ora user of the client computing device 302) to the shared NFS directory.

At block 410, the data agent 308 causes a copy of the application datastored in the shared NFS directory to be stored in the secondarycomputing device 312. In some embodiments, the data agent 308periodically checks the shared NFS directory to determine whetheradditional data has been added to the shared NFS directory or changes tothe data previously stored in the shared NFS directory have been made.Alternatively, or additionally, the data agent 308 may be notified inresponse to the application data being placed in the shared NFSdirectory.

In some embodiments, after the data agent 308 has caused the applicationdata in the shared NFS directory to be stored in the secondary computingdevice 312, the data agent 308 deletes the application data stored inthe shared NFS directory. The data agent 308 may send a notification tothe client computing device 302 and/or the storage manager 306 that therequested backup has been completed.

The application 314 sends an NFS mount request to the data agent 308every time a backup is to be performed (e.g., every hour, every night,every month, or as specified by the storage policy associated with theapplication 314), and the shared NFS directory is unmounted after the“infinite” backup operations have been performed. Alternatively, theapplication 314 may keep the shared NFS directory mounted and copy overthe application data to be backed up to the shared NFS directory asneeded (e.g., according to the storage policy specified by the storagemanager 306 or a user of the computing device 302).

Although the routine 400 includes the application 314 copying over theapplication data to a shared NFS directory, and the data agent 308causing the application data to be backed up from the shared NFSdirectory to the secondary storage device 312, the embodiments of thepresent disclosure are not limited to such a configuration, and in someimplementations, the shared NFS directory may be the location in whichthe backup copy of the application data is stored. For example, theapplication data copied to the shared NFS directory may be converted toa backup format and stored in the same shared NFS directory or in adifferent location. Alternatively, or additionally, the application datain the native format may remain in the shared NFS directory.

The routine 400 can include fewer, more, or different blocks than thoseillustrated in FIG. 4 without departing from the spirit and scope of thedescription. For example, any of the operations described as performedby the data agent 308 may be performed by the media agent 310 or jointlyperformed by the data agent 308 and the media agent 310, and vice versa.Moreover, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and othersthat some or all of the functions described in this disclosure may beembodied in software executed by one or more processors of the disclosedcomponents and mobile communication devices. The software may bepersistently stored in any type of non-volatile storage.

An Example Flow Diagram Illustrating Infinite Backup Process

Turning to FIG. 5, an example routine 500 for creating a backup copy ofthe application data generated by the application 314 is described. Theroutine 500 is described with respect to the system 300 of FIG. 3.However, one or more of the steps of routine 500 may be implemented byother information management systems, such as those described in greaterdetail above with reference to FIG. 1D. The routine 500 can beimplemented by any one, or a combination of, a client, a storagemanager, a data agent, a media agent, and the like. Although the stepsin the routine 500 are described as being performed by the data agent308 of the system 300, the embodiments discussed herein are not limitedas such, and the steps in the routine 500 may be performed by othercomponents of the system 300, either alone or in combination.

At block 502, the data agent 308 detects data stored in a shared NFSdirectory associated with a pseudo-client. For example, the data agent308 may periodically check the shared NFS directory to determine whetheradditional data has been added to the shared NFS directory or changes tothe data previously stored in the shared NFS directory have been made.In some embodiments, the detection at block 502 occurs only when achange with respect to the most recent state of the directory hasoccurred. In other embodiments, the detection at block 502 occurs if thedata agent 308 determines that the shared NFS directory is not empty(e.g., has data files stored therein). Alternatively, or additionally, acomputing system implementing the shared NFS directory may provide anindication to the data agent 308 that some data is ready to be backed upto the secondary storage device 312, when a change has been made to thedirectory. In yet other embodiments, when the application 314 copiesapplication data to the shared NFS path, the data goes directly to themedia agent 310, which, in response to receiving the application data,proceeds to perform the media agent functions described herein (e.g.,functions described with respect to the media agent 144).

At block 504, the data agent 308 identifies the pseudo-client associatedwith the data based on the information associated with the shared NFSdirectory. For example, the data agent 308 may determine the identity ofthe pseudo-client (or the client computing device) based on the pathname (or other metadata) associated with the shared NFS directory.Further, the data agent 308 may identify (e.g., using an index such asthe index 150) the specific media agent and/or secondary storage devicebased on the identity of the pseudo-client (or the client computingdevice). In another example, the data agent 308 may identify thespecific media agent and/or secondary storage device based on the pathname (or other metadata) associated with the shared NFS directory,without first determining the identity of the pseudo-client (or theclient computing device) associated with the data.

At block 506, the data agent 308 causes the data stored in the sharedNFS directory to be stored in a secondary storage device. Afteridentifying the media agent and/or secondary storage device associatedwith the pseudo-client or the shared NFS directory, the data agent 308may communicate, either directly or indirectly, with the identifiedmedia agent and/or secondary storage device to cause the data stored inthe shared NFS directory to be stored (e.g., by copying, moving,replicating, archiving, migrating, etc.) in the secondary storagedevice.

The routine 500 can include fewer, more, or different blocks than thoseillustrated in FIG. 5 without departing from the spirit and scope of thedescription. For example, any of the operations described as performedby the data agent 308 may be performed by the media agent 310 or jointlyperformed by the data agent 308 and the media agent 310, and vice versa.Moreover, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and othersthat some or all of the functions described in this disclosure may beembodied in software executed by one or more processors of the disclosedcomponents and mobile communication devices. The software may bepersistently stored in any type of non-volatile storage.

An Illustrative Example of NFS Backup Operation

Now a specific, illustrative example will be provided with reference toFIG. 6. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of backing up client data from theprimary storage device 316 to the secondary storage device 312 using theNFS protocol.

FIG. 6 illustrates the client computing device 302, the storage manager306, and the data agent 308. In arrow (1), the storage manager 306provides some information associated with the client computing device302 to the data agent 308. For example, the provided information mayinclude the identity of the application installed on the clientcomputing device 302 (e.g., “ORACLE”), the identity of the clientcomputing device 302 (e.g., “CLIENT_A”), and the identity of theapplication data generated by the application (e.g., “DB_XYZ”). Suchinformation may be included in a request from the storage manager 306 tothe data agent 308 to create NFS backup information associated with thepseudo-client.

In arrow (2), upon receiving such information from the storage manager306, the data agent 308 generates NFS backup information associated withthe pseudo-client. For example, the data agent 308 may designate aspecific media agent and/or secondary storage device for handling theinfinite backup operations associated with the pseudo-client. Further,the data agent 308 may generate a unique path to be associated with thepseudo-client (e.g., “/CLIENT_A/123”). The NFS backup information mayinclude the identity of the designated media agent or NFS server (e.g.,“MEDIA_AGENT_1”) and the path to be used for performing the NFS backup(e.g., “/CLIENT_A/123”), as illustrated in FIG. 6. The generated NFSbackup information is provided to the storage manager 306.

In arrow (3), the storage manager 306 provides the received NFS backupinformation to the client computing device 302. In arrow (4), the clientcomputing device 302 initiates an NFS mount request using the NFS backupinformation. For example, the application 314 may execute the mountcommand provided by the NFS protocol with “MEDIA_AGENT_1” as the name ofthe NFS server host and “/CLIENT_A/123” as the path name of thedirectory on the server being mounted. Once the shared NFS directory hasbeen mounted, the application 314 may copy over the application data inthe primary storage device 316 onto the shared NFS directory. Asdescribed herein, the data placed in the shared NFS directory may beaccessed or received by the media agent 310, which, in response toreceiving the data, proceeds to perform the media agent functionsdescribed herein (e.g., functions described with reference to the mediaagent 144).

In some embodiments, the application 314 may unmount the shared NFSdirectory after all the data to be protected has been copied over to theshared NFS directory. The data agent 308 or the media agent 310 may, inresponse to receiving the unmount request from the application 314,cause the data placed in the shared NFS directory to be stored (e.g., bycopying, moving, replicating, archiving, migrating, etc.) in thesecondary storage device associated with the application 314, the clientcomputing device 302, and/or the pseudo-client associated with the pathname of the shared NFS directory.

As illustrated by FIG. 6, by performing data protection operations usinga standard protocol that is supported by various operating systems andapplications without installation of special software, the need toinstall such special software on the client computing device tofacilitate the data protection operations associated with such operatingsystems and applications can be eliminated. According to the variousembodiments described herein, such operating systems and applicationscan store the data that is to be protected in a shared network directorythat has been mounted (or otherwise made accessible/available) using astandard protocol, and data agents and/or media agents described hereincan cause the data to be stored in a secondary storage location.

Further, some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implementedin an information management system in which the data agent resides inthe secondary storage subsystem, such as where a storage managercommunicates with a combined data/media agent to facilitate improveddata protection operations associated with a client computing device.Such a system can be more easily integrated with existing clientcomputing environments since such a system does not require modificationto client computing devices or installation of special software (e.g.,installation of a data agent) on the client computing devices, therebyreducing processing requirements and storage footprint on the clientcomputing devices.

Dynamic Management of Expandable Cache Storage for Multiple NetworkShares Configured in a File Server

Once a file is written to a directory or folder on a speciallydesignated network share, such as one that is configured for “infinitebackup,” an intermediary (pre-backup) copy of the file is created in anexpandable cache configured in the file server that hosts the networkshare. The illustrative architecture not only provides intermediary filestorage for speedy access from client computing devices, which is muchquicker than restoring files from secondary copies, but does soexpandably by increasing the amount of storage space for theintermediary copies as needed. This expandable as-needed approachadvantageously creates flexible storage caches in the file server foreach network share (a “network-share-specific” cache), each cachemanaged independently of other like caches for other network shares onthe same file server.

The present expandable cache approach overcomes an existing problemfaced by data center operators in the prior art, namely that some filesystems do not support real-time expansion of an existing storagevolume. Therefore, if a network share needs to grow, a maintenancetake-down may be required. To expand the amount of storage spaceavailable to such a file system would require a temporary shut down andreconfiguration while a larger volume is configured and/or installed,followed by restarting the file system. This naturally would causeapplications that depend on the file system to also pause while thevolume expansion is implemented. It is preferable to expand storageflexibly and as needed in a manner that is independent of the particularfile system.

The illustrative systems and methods described herein provide asolution, by providing realtime expansion of local cache storage for anetwork share, and moreover by accommodating any number of differentnetwork shares, each one operating under different storage and expansionconstraints. By providing any-to-any share-to-volume cache storageaccording to an illustrative embodiment, more flexibility andexpandability is provided within a single file server. Not only can eachnetwork share operate and expand independently of other network shareson the same file server, but the solution is also independent of thefile system(s) accessing the respective shares. Further details aregiven in FIGS. 7A-14 and their accompanying text below.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram providing a logical network-share view from auser's perspective of an illustrative system 700 for dynamicallymanaging expandable cache storage for multiple network shares configuredin a file server. System 700 illustratively comprises: client computingdevices 302 (e.g., 302-1, 302-2, 302-3), each client computing devicehaving one or more NFS paths 718 (e.g., 718-1, 718-2) for access to acorresponding network share provided by file server 702; file server702, which comprises media agent 744 and M network shares SH1, SH2, . .. , SH-M, each network share comprising a corresponding storage cache704 (e.g., 704-1, 704-2, . . . , 704-M); index server 722 incommunication with file server 702; storage manager 740 in communicationwith file server 702; and secondary storage device 108, which storessecondary copies 116 and is in communication with file server 702. Thecomponents are logically interconnected as shown. The physicalcommunication infrastructure required to support these logicalconnections is well known in the art and may be any suitable electroniccommunications infrastructure, such as that described in regard tocommunication pathways 114.

FIG. 7A provides a view of the network shares from the perspective of aclient computing device and its user, i.e., understanding that a networkshare is available for data storage according to a path, such as NFSpaths 718. Additional details on how the network shares and theirrespective cache storage is managed is shown in FIG. 7B.

System 700 is an information management system analogous to system 100,is managed by storage manager 740, and additionally comprises componentsand features directed to dynamic management of expandable cache storagefor multiple network shares configured in a file server that stores datagenerated in the system. The cached data is periodically backed up tosecondary storage, which is understood to be less accessible andpossibly slower than the file server. The cached data also may be prunedas needed when the expandable storage reaches a high-water mark.Notably, each network share configured in the file server operatesindependently of the other network shares, even if a given share'sstorage is shared.

File server 702 is illustratively an NFS file server, which isconfigured to host a number of network shares accessible by clientcomputing devices 302, based on appropriately installed NFS pathsconfigured on the respective client computing devices. Although fileservers, including NFS file servers, are well known in the art, fileserver 702 additionally is configured with and comprises certainsoftware/firmware modules and interfaces (e.g., media agent 744, andshare-specific object stores 760) that enable it to operate according tothe illustrative embodiment described in detail herein. For example,client computing device 302-1 has an NFS path 718-1 that provides accessto network share SH1; likewise client computing device 302-3 also hasNFS path 718-1 that provides access to network share SH1. Clientcomputing device 302-2 has an NFS path 718-2 that provides access tonetwork share SH2. Each client computing device 302 may comprise morethan one NFS path 718, thus acquiring access to more than one share onfile server 702 (or on other files servers). Any number of file servers702 may be configured in a system 700.

Network shares SH1, SH2, . . . , SH-M, network-share-specific caches704, and connectivity thereto and therefrom are shown here in dottedoutlines and dotted lines to depict the fact that according to theillustrative embodiment they represent logical constructs that arevisible to client computing devices 302 (and users) as unifiedcomponents, but are implemented using some shared and overlappingresources as shown in FIG. 7B (see, e.g., NFS protocol handler 750;expandable cache volume group 770).

Network shares SH1, SH2 . . . SH-M are addressable storage destinationsfor files generated at a client computing device 302. Correspondingnetwork-share-specific caches 704 are the logical repositories of datathat is written by the client computing device 302 to the respectivenetwork share. As will be shown later, data written to a given share mayend up in one or more particular storage volumes in the file server—allthe while appearing as one network share to users. The underlyingorganization and distribution of data within the cache 704 is handled bya cache manager module 866 (see FIGS. 8A and 8B) and is not visible toclient computing devices 302 that use that network share or to theirusers.

Index server 722 is a computing device, comprising one or moreprocessors and suitable computer memory, that stores index and mappinginformation for system 700.

Storage manager 740 is analogous to storage manager 140 and furthercomprises additional functionality for storing information about andinteroperating with file server 702 and with the network-share-specificobject stores 760 and caches 704 thereon.

Media agent 744 is preferably installed and operating in file server 702in order to improve system performance in accessing to/from secondarystorage. However, in some alternative embodiments a media agent 144 mayoperate on a secondary storage computing device 106 that is distinctfrom file server 702.

FIG. 7B is a block diagram of an illustrative implementation ofnetwork-share-specific cache and cache management in system 700 usingobject store and expandable cache storage architectures. In addition tothe components enumerated in the preceding figure, file server 702illustratively comprises: NFS protocol handler 750;network-share-specific object store modules 760—one per network-share(e.g., 760-1, 760-2 . . . 760-M (not shown)); and expandable cachevolume group 770 for storing intermediary (“cache”) copies. FIG. 7Bprovides a more detailed implementation view of file server 702,including a number of network-share-specific object stores 760, andexpandable cache volume group 770, which comprises the respectivestorage allocated to network-share-specific caches 704. NFS protocolhandler 750 is illustratively a shared resource that serves all objectstores configured in file server 702.

Protocol handler 750 is a functional module that executes on file server702, which handles the communications protocol (e.g., NFS) that governscommunications between file server 702 and client computing devices 302.NFS protocol handler 750 can parse incoming read and write requests todetermine which network share is targeted by the request (e.g., SH1) andthen distribute the request to the respective network-share-specificobject store, e.g., 760-1 (SH1).

An object store 760 is a functional module that executes on file server702, which provides storage to a local cache 704 and also managesinterfaces to/from secondary storage for the particular network cacheserviced by the object store (e.g., SH1, SH2, etc.). The illustrativeobject store architecture is, as noted above, specific to each networkshare configured on a file server 702 and object stores operateautonomously and mutually independently of each other on the same fileserver 702. Each object store 760 provides expandable cache storage forthe associated network share, manages the cache storage, and alsoprovides for backup to and restore from secondary storage in a mannerthat is not visible to client computing device 302 using the networkshare. From the perspective of client computing device 302 and its user,data that is stored to a certain network share is automatically backedup in an “infinite backup” scheme and also is speedily available whenneeded from the network share (extracted from cache).

Expandable cache volume group 770 is a volume group comprising anynumber of storage volumes configured in file server 702. This sharedresource is used to allocate space to and expand storage space forvarious network-specific caches 704. Additional volumes may be added tovolume group 770 by a system administrator or by another administrativeresource, e.g., through scripting. However, volume group 770 as a wholeis not managed by the network-share-specific object stores 760 or theircache managers 866.

FIG. 8A is a block diagram depicting illustrative detail of an objectstore for a network share configured on a file server in system 700.Object store 760-1 illustratively comprises: glue layer 862-1; indexinterface 864-1; cache manager 866-1; backup queue 867-1; backupinterface 868-1; and restore interface 869-1. Object store 760-1, whichservices network share SH1, is said to be “network-share-specific” or“dedicated” to network share SH1. Other network-share-specific objectstores 866 are implemented for other respective network shares, e.g.,for SH2 . . . SH-M. Index server 722 illustratively comprises achunk-to-volume index 824 and a file-to-chunk index 826. Also depictedin FIG. 8A are NFS protocol handler 750, expandable cache volume group770, media agent 744, storage manager 740, and secondary copies 116.

Glue layer 862 (e.g., 862-1) is a functional module that executes onfile server 702 and operates as a central point within the object storethat interfaces with the other modules therein as well as with externalmodules like NFS protocol handler 750. For any given share-specificobject store 760, glue layer 862 provides interconnections among otherobject store components such as cache manager 866, backup interfacemodule 868, restore interface module 869, as well as non-object-storecomponents such as NFS protocol handler 750 and index server 722. Thusglue layer 862 interoperates with index interface module 864, cachemanager 866, backup queue 867, backup interface module 868, and restoreinterface module 869.

Index interface module 864 (e.g., 864-1) is a functional module thatexecutes on file server 702 and enables the object store 760 to exchangeinformation with index server 722.

Cache manager 866 (e.g., 866-1), which is also network-share-specific,handles storage to and retrieval from network-share-specific cachestorage 704 (configured in expandable cache volume group 770) in thefile server—without regard to how other network-share-specific cachesare managed by other respective cache managers. For example, thenetwork-share-specific cache manager 866 receives portions of a file tobe written (e.g., uniquely identified chunks), determines which storagevolume has a network-share-specific folder with sufficient space toaccommodate the respective chunk, determines whether a previously unusedvolume should be configured with a network-share-specific folder inorder to expand the cache storage for the given network share, and/ordetermines whether pruning of cached data is needed to free up space forstoring the file portion(s)—and then stores the chunk to an appropriatenetwork-share-specific folder in an appropriate storage volume; achunk-to-volume mapping is retained for future reference (illustrativelyat glue layer 862 or alternatively at cache manager 866), i.e.,retaining an indication of which storage volume 870 received the writtenchunk having a unique identifier, e.g., F1_GUID.1, etc. More details aregiven in FIG. 12. On read operations, the network-share-specific cachemanager 866 determines whether a certain requested chunk is stored inand can be served from the network-share-specific cache 704.

Backup queue 867 (e.g., 867-1) is a data structure that tracks datachanges that have been stored to cache 704. The purpose of the queue isto capture these changes into secondary copies that are stored insecondary storage devices 108. Glue layer 862 places entries in backupqueue 867 and backup interface 868 creates the corresponding backupcopies.

Backup interface module 868 (e.g., 868-1) is responsible for workingwith designated media agent(s), e.g., 744, to generate secondary copies116 from cached data and get them stored to secondary storage devices108.

Restore interface module 869 (e.g., 869-1) is responsible for workingwith designated media agent(s), e.g., 744, to generate restored versionsof data that is in secondary copy form 116 in secondary storage 108.Taken together, backup interface module 868 and restore interface module869 collectively comprise the functionality of a data agent 142.

Expandable cache volume group 770 is shown and described in more detailin the next figure.

FIG. 8B is a block diagram depicting illustrative detail of anexpandable cache storage implementation on a file server in system 700.FIG. 8B depicts: network-share-specific cache managers 866 (e.g., 866-1,866-2, . . . , 866-M) with access to expandable cache volume group 770;expandable cache volume group 770 comprising a number of distinctstorage volumes 870 (e.g., 870-1, 870-2, 870-3, . . . , 870-N), eachstorage volume 870 comprising one or more network-share-specific folder880 (e.g., designated /SH1, /SH2, . . . , /SH-M) corresponding to therespective network shares configured in the file server. Some storagevolumes 870 may be unused, i.e., may not have network-share-specificfolder(s) 880 configured therein (not shown) until needed. Expandablecache volume group 770 is illustratively implemented as a volume grouphaving a plurality of storage volumes 870.

The collection of network-share-specific folders 880 implemented for agiven network share in one or more volumes 870 collectively form alogical network-share-specific cache 704, e.g., 704-1, for the givennetwork share, e.g., SH1, SH2, . . . , SH-M. The number of storagevolumes 870 (e.g., N) need not correspond to the number of networkshares (e.g., M), hence the depicted M-to-N share-to-volumeexpandability available in expandable cache volume group 770 accordingto the illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram depicting illustrative method 900 forinstallation and initialization operations for system 700.Illustratively, method 900 is executed by file server 702 (includingexecution by components that themselves execute on file server 702),except as otherwise noted.

At block 902, a file server is configured (e.g., NFS Server 702) asattached storage to client computing devices 302 (e.g., 302-1, etc.),the file server configured to serve M network shares (e.g., SH1, SH2 . .. SH-M). This operation may be performed and/or implemented by a datacenter operator and/or system administrator.

At block 904, to each client computing device 302 mount one or morenetwork shares using respective share paths (e.g., NFS path 718-1,718-2, etc.) pointing to a respective network share configured on fileserver 702. This operation also may be performed by a data centeroperator and/or system administrator and/or user of the respectiveclient computing device 302. For example, a mount command may beexecuted at the client computing device 302 to establish a storageconnection between client computing device 302 and the respectivenetwork share on the file server, e.g., SH1, SH2, . . . , SH-M. Oneclient computing device may mount one or more network shares in thisway, without limitation, e.g., SH1 and SH2, using NFS paths 718-1 and718-2 respectively.

At block 906, on the file server 702, a volume group (e.g., expandablecache volume group 770) is provisioned comprising one or more distinctstorage volumes in a volume group. This operation may be performed by asystem administrator and/or data center operator, or in some embodimentsit may be based on instructions received by the file sever 702 (e.g.,via an appropriate API) from a storage manager (e.g., 740), which isresponsible for managing information, storage, and storage operations insystem 700.

At block 907, for each network share configured on the file server,install a corresponding object store 760 (e.g., 760-1 . . . 760-M) tomanage cache storage and interface to secondary copies for therespective network share (e.g., SH1 . . . SH-M).

At block 908, for a given network share (e.g., SH1), a correspondingnetwork-share-specific folder 880 (e.g., designated /SH1 or otherwiseestablishing a unique association between the folder and the respectivenetwork share) in one or more of the storage volumes 870 in expandablecache volume group 770—the collective network-share-specific folders 880logically forming cache storage 704 for the given network share, e.g.,704-1. This operation is illustratively performed by anetwork-share-specific cache manager 866, e.g., 866-1, which is anillustrative component of the network-share-specific object store. Theoperation may be triggered by an initialization routine executed by thenetwork-share-specific glue layer 862-1.

At block 910, control passes back to block 908, so that block 908 isrepeated for each network share configured on the file server, which ispart of the group, e.g., SH2 . . . SH-M.

At block 912, a media agent (e.g., 744) is also installed on file server702. This operation may occur before or after block 907. In someembodiments, one consolidated software installation package is installedon file server 702, and its installation routine triggers blocks 907,908, 910, as well as 912.

After method 900 completes, file server 702 is in communication withclient computing device 302, which has access to one or more networkshares mounted to the respective client computing device. Moreover, eachnetwork share has an associated object store and at least some storagespace allocated in one or more storage volumes in expandable cachevolume group 770. Thus, from the user's perspective at a clientcomputing device 302, files can be stored to and retrieved fromrespective network shares mounted to the client computing device, asdescribed in more detail in regard to subsequent figures.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram depicting illustrative method 1000 forhandling certain write and backup operations in system 700. In respectto any given network share configured on file server 702, method 1000 isexecuted by the respective network-share-specific object store 760 andsubcomponents thereof executing on file server 702.

At block 1002, a data communications handling protocol receives datafrom a client computing device 302 (e.g., 302-1) executing a writeoperation to a given network share, e.g., SH1. Illustratively, for NFSfile server 702, an NFS protocol handler 750 executing on file server702 receives the data and distributes the received data to theappropriate object store 760 for the targeted network share, e.g.,760-1.

At block 1004, the data received from the write operation is stored tothe network-share-specific cache (e.g., 704-1) by storing received data(broken into chunks) to one or more volumes (e.g., 870-1, 870-2, etc.)in expandable cache volume group 770 and keeping track of where eachchunk was stored. The network-share-specific object store (e.g., 760-1)performs this block, and more details on block 1004 are given insubsequent figures.

At block 1006, after storing the data from the write operation to cache(e.g., 704-1), various information about the operation, as well asinformation about what was stored where, is saved in the system.Accordingly, chunk-to-volume indexing and other metadata about thewritten data is transmitted illustratively to index server 722 incommunication with file sever 702, thereby causing index server 722 toupdate a mapping that tracks which file chunk is stored to which volume870 in expandable cache 770, e.g., updating chunk-to-volume index 824.Though this mapping is retained by the respective cache manager 866(and/or glue layer 862) that stored the chunks to cache 704, the mappinginformation is further protected by saving it to index server 722.

At block 1008, on passing of an administrable timeout interval (e.g.,every 5 minutes), files (and/or write operations thereof) from one ormore write operations are queued to a backup queue (e.g., 867)associated with a network-share-specific backup interface (e.g., 868-1).The administrable interval allows for a short interval in which writeoperations may “settle” so that churn from highly changeable data chunksare reduced. The administrable interval can be of any duration and isnot limited to the illustrative 5 minutes.

At block 1010, on receiving instructions from a storage manager (e.g.,740), which is generally responsible for managing system 700 andprotecting data therein, files in the backup queue are backed up tosecondary copy(ies) (e.g., 116) stored to secondary storage (e.g., 108)using media agent(s) (e.g., 744, 144) and share-specific backupinterface (e.g., 868-1) module. Backing up files and/or portions thereofis performed in accordance with information management system 100,described in more detail elsewhere herein. In that context, backupinterface 868-1 performs the job of a data agent (e.g., 142). The mediaagent involved in the backup is preferably one that executes on fileserver 702, e.g., media agent 744, but in alternative embodiments, themedia agent may operate on a secondary storage computing device 106,such as media agent 144. In either case, the media agent is associatedwith the secondary storage device that ultimately stores the secondarycopies 116 created in the backup operation. The backup operation mayinclude ancillary operations, such as deduplication, compression, and/orencryption, and any file-level secondary copy operation described inregard to system 100 may be performed in the present block.

At block 1012, reports about the files backed up to secondary copies arereceived (e.g., by glue layer 862) from the media agent(s) involved(e.g., 744, 144). The glue layer 862 then transmits the receivedinformation, whether in the same form or differently arranged, via indexinterface 864 to index server 722 to update information thereon, e.g.,the file-to-chunk index 826 may be updated with secondary storageinformation about secondary copies 116. Likewise, storage manager 740also may receive updates, via media agent 744, 144, e.g., reportingwhich media agent is associated with secondary copies 116, and othermetadata about the backup operation(s). Storage manager 740illustratively stores such information in an associated managementdatabase, e.g., 146.

At block 1014, file server 702 continues processing further writeoperations from one or more client computing devices 302 targeted to oneor more network shares configured on the file server (e.g., SH1, . . . ,SH-M), wherein the received data is written to a correspondingnetwork-share-specific cache (e.g., 704-1, 704-2, etc.). Control passesback to block 1002 for receiving further write operations, etc.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram depicting illustrative method 1100 forhandling certain read and restore operations in system 700. In respectto any given network share configured on file server 702, method 1100 isexecuted by the respective network-share-specific object store 760 andsubcomponents thereof executing on file server 702.

At block 1102, on a read operation by a client computing device 302(e.g., 302-1) targeted to a first network share (e.g., SH1) configuredon a file server (e.g., 702), a read request is received identifying afile (e.g., F1). Illustratively, for an NFS file server 702, an NFSprotocol handler 750 executing on file server 702 receives the readrequest e.g., designating file F1 residing on network share SH1, anddistributes the read request to the appropriate object store 760 for thetargeted network share specified in the read request (e.g., 760-1).

At block 1104, the illustrative glue layer module 862-1 determines whichfile chunks are requested by the read request (e.g., F1_GUID.2,F1_GUID.3, etc.) and requests them from the network-share-specific cachemanager (e.g., 866-1).

At block 1106, which is a decision point, the cache manager, e.g.,866-1, determines whether it can find the requested chunks in thenetwork-share-specific cache (e.g., 704-1). The chunk-to-volume mappingretained in a preceding write operation (see, e.g., block 1004 and FIG.12) is consulted at this point. If some or all the requested chunks arein cache 704, control passes to block 1108. If some or all the requestedchunks are not in cache 704 (e.g., have been backed up and pruned atsome previous time, or are not in cache 704 for other reasons), controlpasses to block 1110. If some chunks are in cache 704 while others needto be retrieved from secondary copies, both control paths are followedaccordingly.

At block 1108, the network-share-specific cache manager 866 serves therequested chunks to glue layer 862 for transmission to client computingdevice 302 (via NFS protocol handler 750) in response to the readrequest. Glue layer 862 illustratively analyzes the received chunks todetermine whether all requested chunks have been served and orders theminto a proper sequential order, e.g., according to chunk numbers such asF1_GUID.2, F1_GUID.3, etc. If all chunks are not served from cache 704,glue layer 862 illustratively waits for completion of the restoreoperation at block 1110 before ordering all chunks (whether from cacheor restored from secondary storage) into a proper sequence for servingthe read request. Thus, some scenarios require glue layer 862 to combinerestored chunks (block 1110) with other chunks extracted from the cache704. The glue layer 862 then transmits the chunks to NFS protocolhandler 750 to be transmitted to client computing device 302 in responseto the read request. Control passes back to block 1102 for receivingmore read requests at the file server 702.

At block 1110, a restore operation is performed from a secondary copy(e.g., 116) available from secondary storage (e.g., 108) to retrievechunks not available from network-share-specific cache 704. More detailis given in a subsequent figure.

At block 1112, glue layer 862 serves the requested chunks to clientcomputing device 302 (via NFS protocol handler 750) in response to theread request, as explained in more detail at block 1108 and 1408.

At block 1114, the restored chunks and or file retrieved from secondarystorage at block 1110 is stored to network-share-specific cache 704, inanticipation that the first read request will be followed by furtherread requests and thus it would advantageous to restore the data to thefile server's cache 704. These operations are described in furtherdetail at blocks 1004-1006 in FIG. 10; also, following the restoreoperation, mapping information in the index server, e.g., file-to-chunkindex 826 also will be updated, along with chunk-to-volume index 824.

It should be noted that file server 702 is configured to execute methods1000 and 1100 in any order and/or concurrently, e.g., accepting read andwrite requests from any number of client computing devices 302 andtargeted for any number of network shares configured on file server 702.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram depicting some salient operations of block1004 in method 1000. Block 1004 is generally directed to storing datareceived in a write request to the network-share-specific cache (e.g.,704-1) by storing received data (broken into chunks) to one or morestorage volumes 870 (e.g., 870-1, 870-2, etc.) in expandable cachevolume group 770. In general, block 1004 is executed by glue layermodule 862 and cache manager 866 as described in further detail below.

At block 1202, NFS protocol handler (e.g., 750) transmits the datareceived in the write request to an appropriate network-share-specificobject store 760, based on the particulars in the write request (e.g.,to object store 760-1 for a write operation directed to network shareSH1).

At block 1204, glue layer 862 (e.g., 862-1) receives the data from NFSprotocol handler 750 and breaks it up into uniquely identified portionsof a file, herein referred to as “chunks” or “data chunks” or “filechunks.” Each chunk created by glue layer 862 bears the file identifierfollowed by a chunk identifier, e.g., F1_GUID.1; F1_GUID.2; etc.).Accordingly, each chunk carries a unique chunk identifier that alsoidentifies the file it is associated with. Glue layer 862 also retainsfile-to-chunk mapping for future reference.

At block 1206, glue layer 862 transmits the chunks to thenetwork-share-specific cache manager 866 (e.g., 866-1) for storage tothe network-share-specific cache 704 that the cache manager isresponsible for managing (e.g., 704-1).

At block 1208, network-share-specific cache manager 866 (e.g., 866-1)analyzes storage in the network-share-specific cache 704 and stores thechunks to one or more storage volumes 870 configured in expandable cachevolume group 770, regardless of whether other chunks from the same fileare in the same storage volume 870. In other words, cache manager 866may store different chunks to different storage volumes 870 as it seesfit, whether the chunks are received from one write operation or frommore than one write operation. Cache manager 866 may determine thatafter storing a given chunk to a first storage volume (e.g., 870-1) thevolume has reached a predetermined storage limit, and so cache manager866 may then find another suitable storage volume (e.g., 870-2) for thenext chunk or chunks. It should also be remembered that other networkshares also may have share-specific folders configured in any givenstorage volume 870 (see, e.g., FIG. 8B); the presence of such “foreign”folders may affect how much storage remains in the storage volume 870 asa whole, but the contents of those “foreign” folders have no bearing onwhether the present cache manager (e.g., 866-1) chooses a particularfolder (e.g., 880-1-SH1) for storing any given chunk in the writerequest. More details on block 1208 are given in a subsequent figure.

At block 1210, cache manager 866 retains chunk-to-volume mappingfollowing the storing operation at block 1208. This mapping will enablecache manager 866 to find chunks in cache 704, or to determine that theyare not in cache 704, when responding to a read operation (see, e.g.,block 1106).

At block 1212, cache manager 866 transmits the chunk-to-volume mappingto glue layer 862 for updating the chunk-to-volume index (e.g., 824) inthe index server (e.g., 722). This operation provides an additionallevel of protection in case object store 760 crashes or is otherwisedisabled. In some alternative embodiments, glue layer 862 retains thechunk-to-volume mapping information instead of its being retained bycache manager 866.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram depicting some salient operations of block1208 in block 1004 of method 1000. Block 1208 is generally directed atanalyzing available network-share-specific storage and storing chunksfrom a write request to one or more volumes in expandable cache storage.Block 1208 is performed by network-share-specific cache manager 866(e.g., 866-1) that handles chunks received in the write request.

At block 1301, cache manager 866 identifies a first set of one or morestorage volumes 870 configured in expandable cache volume group 770 thatare associated with the share-specific cache 704 by virtue of having anetwork-share-specific folder 880 configured therein. For example,according to FIG. 8B, storage volumes 870-1, 870-2, and 870-N areassociated with network share SH1; storage volumes 870-1, 870-2, 870-3,and 870-N are associated with network share SH2; and storage volumes870-2, 870-3 and 870-N are associated with network share SH-M. In theexample of cache manager 866-1 and network share SH1, cache manager866-1 would identify storage volumes 870-1, 870-2, and 870-N asbelonging to the set of storage volumes associated with network shareSH1.

At block 1302, which is a decision point, cache manager 866 determineswhether one or more of the identified storage volumes 870 associatedwith the share-specific cache 704 have storage space available for thefile portion (e.g., chunk) to be written to cache. If at least one suchstorage volume is found, e.g., 870-1, control passes to block 1310;otherwise, meaning that none of the storage volumes in cache 704 havesufficient storage space, control passes to block 1303.

At block 1303 in the case where cache manager 866 determines that noneof cache-associated volumes 870 have sufficient storage space for thefile portion (e.g., chunk) to be written, cache manager 866 determineswhether network-share-specific cache 704 as a whole exceeds a storagethreshold in the file server. The storage threshold might have beenpre-administered as a fixed measure of storage (e.g., 1 TB) or may be apercentage of the total storage in the expandable cache volume group 770(e.g., 50%) that any given cache should not exceed. If the threshold isexceeded, control passes to block 1306 to free up space in the existingnetwork-share-specific cache; otherwise control passes to block 1304.

At block 1304, which is reached when the cache as a whole is belowthreshold yet no volumes presently have storage space available to storethe file portion (e.g., chunk), cache manager 866 determines whetheranother storage volume 870, which is not currently in the set of volumesassociated with the given network share, is available in expandablecache volume group 770 and has storage available. This means that thestorage volume is part of volume group 770, but lacks anetwork-share-specific folder configured therein and is below a maximumstorage threshold (e.g., high-water mark) established for the storagevolume as a whole (e.g., 80%). If such a storage volume is found,control passes to block 1308 to expand the amount of storage space forthe network share; otherwise, storage for the network share cannot befurther expanded in the current configuration and control passes toblock 1306 to free up space in the existing network-share-specificcache.

At block 1306, to free up space in the existing network-share-specificcache 704, cache manager 866 prunes previously backed up cached datafrom one or more constituent folders 880 (e.g., based on age, size offile, etc.). As noted, only data that has already been backed up tosecondary copies 116 in secondary storage (see, e.g., block 1010) can bepruned in the present operation to free up space in the cache.Accordingly, one or more network-share-specific folders on respectiveone or more storage volumes 870 associated with the network share areanalyzed for cached data that meets certain pruning criteria, e.g., age,size of file, etc.—so long as that data has been backed up. The datathat meets the pruning criteria is then deleted from the cachelocation(s), thus freeing up space for the present write operation andpossibly for other upcoming write operations targeting the same networkshare. Control passes to block 1310.

At block 1308, which is reached when a storage volume is found inexpandable cache volume group 770 that is not currently used by thepresent network share, cache manager 866 creates a new share-specificfolder 880 (e.g., designated /SH1) in the unused storage volume, thusexpanding the share-specific cache 704. Notably, the storage volume maybe used by other caches that have a corresponding folder populated inthe storage volume (e.g., designated /SH2), but in regard to the presentnetwork share, the volume is considered to be unused until thenetwork-share-specific folder is created therein. By virtue of creatingthe folder (e.g., /SH1), the respective storage volume (e.g., 870-2)becomes associated with the respective network share (e.g., SH1) andbecomes part of the set of storage volumes associated with the networkshare. The effect of block 1308 is to dynamically expand, as needed, theamount of storage space available to the particular network share,without requiring a maintenance take-down or restart of the file systemas described in the prior art. This on-demand expandability is onlylimited by how many storage volumes are included in the expandable cachevolume group 770, and by any limits on total storage for the particularcache (see block 1303). Control passes to block 1310 to write theportion of the file (e.g., chunk) to cache.

At block 1310, cache manager 866 writes the present chunk to anetwork-share-specific folder, which may be in a storage volume newlyadded to the network-share-specific cache at block 1308. Notably, thechunk is not necessarily written to the same storage volume as precedingchunk(s) belonging to the same file, even if they all arrive in the samewrite request.

At block 1312, if all volumes in expandable cache volume group 770 arerunning out of storage space (e.g., exceed an administrable high-watermark, e.g., 80%), cache manager 866 causes glue layer 862 to notify anadministrator to add more volume(s) 870 to expandable cache volume group770, i.e., to increase the volume group. Adding to volume group 770,though possibly manual in nature when it requires the services of anadministrator, is not visible to the client computing devices 302 andtheir respective file systems that access the various network shares onfile server 702, and therefore this operation further has the effect ofseamlessly expanding cache storage on the file server on an as-neededbasis without disruption of client computing device operations.

At block 1314, control passes back to block 1302 to continue processingremaining file portions (e.g., chunks) in the write request.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram depicting some salient operations of block1110 in method 1100. Block 1110 is generally directed to performing arestore operation from a secondary copy (e.g., 116) available fromsecondary storage (e.g., 108) in order to retrieve chunks that are notavailable from the network-share-specific cache 704 on the file server702. This block is performed by components of the network-share-specificobject store 760.

At block 1402, the latest file-to-chunk backup information is retrievedby the glue layer 862 from index server 722 (e.g., stored infile-to-chunk index 826), via index interface module 864.

At block 1404, based on the backup information retrieved from indexserver 722 in the preceding block, glue layer 862 determines theidentity of the media agent (e.g., 744) responsible for backing up theparticular file or portions thereof—this same media agent will be tappedfor the restore operation. In the preferred embodiment, the media agentused for backing up cached data, and hence used later for restoring, ispreferably a component that executes locally on the file server 702(see, e.g., FIG. 7B). However, in alternative embodiments, the mediaagent (e.g., 144) executes on a secondary storage computing device(e.g., 106) that is distinct and apart from the file server 702.

At block 1406, glue layer 862 initiates a restore operation fromsecondary copy(ies) of the file (e.g., 116) using the restore interfacemodule (e.g., 869-1) and the identified media agent (e.g., 744, 144,etc.).

At block 1408, the identified media agent and the restore interfacemodule proceed to process the secondary copy(ies) 116 to generate arestored version of the requested file and/or chunks (e.g., find thecopy on secondary storage media, retrieve it therefrom, rehydrate,decompress, decrypt, etc.), wherein the resulting restored file/chunksis in native format readable by the client computing device that sentthe read request. As noted at blocks 1108 and 1112, some scenarios willrequire the glue layer 862 to combine (e.g., sequence into a properorder) restored chunks with other chunks extracted from cache 704 beforetransmitting them to client computing device 302 (via protocol handler750) in response to the read request.

At block 1410, the restore interface and/or media agent that performedthe restore operation report the results of the restore operation tostorage manager 740. This operation is analogous to data agent and mediaagent reporting described in detail elsewhere herein in regard to system100. Storage manager 740 illustratively stores operation results in anassociated management database, e.g., 146.

In regard to the figures described herein, other embodiments arepossible within the scope of the present invention, such that theabove-recited components, steps, blocks, operations, and/or messages,requests, queries, and instructions are differently arranged, sequenced,sub-divided, organized, and/or combined. In some embodiments, adifferent component may initiate or execute a given operation. In someembodiments more than one of the recited steps, blocks, operations,and/or messages, requests, queries, and instructions executeconcurrently.

Example Embodiments

Some example enumerated embodiments of the present invention are recitedin this section in the form of methods, systems, and/or non-transitorycomputer-readable media without limitation.

MA1. A method for dynamically managing storage for network sharesconfigured in a file server, the method comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a writerequest in reference to a first file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a first network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        write request;

identifying, by a cache manager that executes on the file server, one ormore storage volumes configured in the file server that are associatedwith the first network share,

-   -   wherein each of the one or more storage volumes comprises a        respective first-network-share-specific folder that stores data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating each of the one or more storage volumes            with the first network share;

if a first storage volume of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store a first portion of the first file, storing, by the cachemanager, the first portion of the first file to the respectivefirst-network-share-specific folder in the first storage volume;

if the first storage volume of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share lacks sufficient storage spaceto store the first portion of the first file,

-   -   (a) identifying by the cache manager a second storage volume of        the one or more storage volumes that are associated with the        first network share, which second volume comprises sufficient        storage space to store the first portion of the first file, and    -   (b) regardless of whether other portions of the first file are        stored to the same second storage volume, storing, by the cache        manager, the first portion of the first file to the respective        first-network-share-specific folder in the identified second        storage volume; and

if none of the one or more storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file, dynamically expanding the amount of storageavailable for the first network share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying, by the cache manager a third storage volume        configured in the file server, wherein the third storage volume        comprises sufficient storage space to store the first portion of        the first file,    -   (ii) configuring by the cache manager in the third storage        volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating the third storage volume with the first            network share, and    -   (iii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the        first file to the first-network-share-specific folder configured        in the third storage volume.

MA2. The method of claim MA1 further comprising:

if none of the one or more storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file and no additional storage volumes areavailable in the file server for dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the first network share,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by        pruning data, by the cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the one or        more storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned            to free up storage space for the first network share, and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the cache manager, the first        portion of the first file to a first-network-share-specific        folder in one of the one or more storage volumes that are        associated with the first network share.

MA2a. The method of claim MA2 wherein the pruning is also based on anage of the data that has been previously backed up.

MA2b. The method of claim MA2 wherein the pruning is also based on asize of a file that has been previously backed up.

MA2c. The method of claim MA2 wherein the amount of data that is prunedto free up storage space for the first network share is sufficient toreach an administrable threshold.

MA2d. The method of claim MA2 wherein criteria for pruning the data thathas been previously backed up are administrable via a storage managerthat is in communication with the file server.

MA2-2. The method of claim MA1 wherein for storage to the first networkshare on the file server the first file is divided into a plurality ofportions including the first portion, and

wherein any given portion of the first file is stored to afirst-network-share-specific folder configured on a respective one ofthe one or more storage volumes that are associated with the firstnetwork share, independently of whether another portion of the firstfile is also stored to the same one of the one or more storage volumesthat are associated with the first network share, as determined by thecache manager.

MA3. The method of claim MA1 wherein whether sufficient storage space isavailable to store the first portion of the first file is determined bythe cache manager based on one or more administrable thresholds.

MA4. The method of claim MA1 further comprising:

for storing a second portion of the first file, identifying by the cachemanager a storage volume of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share, based at least in part onwhether the identified storage volume comprises sufficient storage spacefor the second portion of the first file regardless of whether the firstportion of the first file is stored in the same storage volume.

MA5. The method of claim MA1 wherein the receiving of the write requestis performed by a protocol handler executing on the file server; andfurther comprising:

transmitting, by the protocol handler, the write request to a modulethat executes on the file server, wherein the module is associated withthe first network share and is in communication with the cache manager,which is also associated with the first network share;

dividing, by the module, the first file into a plurality of portionsincluding the first portion; and

transmitting, by the module, each portion of the plurality of portionsto the cache manager associated with the first network share.

MA6. The method of claim MA1 wherein the cache manager, which isassociated with the first network share, retains an index of whichportion of the first file is stored in which storage volume of the oneor more storage volumes associated with the first network share.

MA7. The method of claim MA1 wherein the cache manager, which isassociated with the first network share, retains information about whichportion of the first file is stored in which storage volume of the oneor more storage volumes associated with the first network share.

MA8. The method of claim MA1 further comprising:

on passing an administrative timeout interval, creating an entry for thefirst file in a backup queue that is associated with a backup interfacemodule that is associated with the first network share, wherein thebackup interface also executes on the file server.

MA9. The method of claim MA8 wherein the backup queue comprises an entryfor a second file that is also stored in one or more of the one or morevolumes associated with the first network share as a result of anotherwrite request designating the first network share received by the fileserver from one of:

-   -   (A) the same client computing device as the first file, and    -   (B) a different client computing device than the first file.

MA10. The method of claim MA8 further comprising:

receiving, by the backup interface module, one or more instructions froma storage manager to generate at least one secondary copy of the firstfile;

generating, by the backup module in conjunction with a media agent thatalso executes on the file server, a secondary copy of the first filebased on the one or more instructions received from the storage manager;

storing, by the media agent, the generated secondary copy of the firstfile to a secondary storage device in communication with the fileserver; and

reporting metadata about the secondary copy to at least one of an indexserver in communication with the file server, and the storage manager.

MA11. The method of claim MA8 further comprising:

receiving, by the backup interface module, one or more instructions froma storage manager to generate at least one secondary copy of the firstfile;

generating, by the backup module in conjunction with a media agent thatexecutes on a secondary storage computing device in communication withthe file server, a secondary copy of the first file based on the one ormore instructions received from the storage manager;

storing, by the media agent, the generated secondary copy of the firstfile to a secondary storage device in communication with the secondarystorage computing device; and

reporting metadata about the secondary copy to at least one of an indexserver in communication with the file server, and the storage manager.

MA12. The method of claim MA1 further comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a secondwrite request in reference to a second file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a second network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        second write request;    -   identifying, by a second cache manager that executes on the file        server, second one or more storage volumes configured in the        file server that are associated with the second network share,    -   wherein each of the second one or more storage volumes comprises        a respective second-network-share-specific folder that stores        data for the second network share and only for the second        network share,    -   wherein at least one of the second one or more storage volumes        is the same as one of the one or more storage volumes associated        with the first network share, and    -   wherein the second cache manager is distinct from and operates        independently of the cache manager the operates in reference to        the first network share;

if one of the second one or more storage volumes associated with thesecond network share comprises sufficient storage space to store a firstportion of the second file, storing the first portion of the second filethereto by the second cache manager,

-   -   regardless of whether any data for the first network share is        stored on the same one of the second one or more storage        volumes.

MA13. The method of claim MA12 further comprising:

if all of the second one or more storage volumes that are associatedwith the second network share lack sufficient storage space to store thefirst portion of the second file, dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the second network share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying, by the second cache manager a fourth storage        volume configured in the file server, wherein the fourth storage        volume comprises sufficient storage space to store the first        portion of the second file regardless of whether any data for        the first network share is stored in the fourth storage volume,        and    -   (ii) configuring, by the second cache manager, in the fourth        storage volume a second-network-share-specific folder for        storing data for the second network share and only for the        second network share,        -   thereby associating the fourth storage volume with the            second network share, and    -   (iii) storing, by the second cache manager, the first portion of        the second file to the second-network-share-specific folder        configured in the fourth storage volume to dynamically expand        the amount of storage available for the second network share on        the file server.

MA14. The method of claim MA13 wherein expanding the amount of storageavailable for the first network share on the file server operatesmutually independently from expanding the amount of storage availablefor the second network share on the file server.

MA15. The method of claim MA1 further comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a readrequest in reference to the first file,

-   -   wherein the read request designates the first network share        configured in the file server as a source for the read request;

based on the designated first network share in the read request,directing the read request to the cache manager that is associated withthe first network share,

-   -   wherein the directing is performed by a module that is distinct        from the cache manager and that also executes on the file        server;

if the cache manager determines that the read request can be served atleast in part from the one or more storage volumes configured in thefile server that are associated with the first network share,

-   -   retrieving, by the cache manager, at least some of the data        requested by the read request from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in respective        storage volumes in the one or more storage volumes associated        with the first network share;

if the cache manager determines that the read request cannot be servedfrom the one or more volumes in the file server that are associated withthe first network share:

-   -   (i) triggering, by the cache manager, a restore operation to        restore the first file from a secondary copy stored on a        secondary storage device in communication with the file server,        and    -   (ii) performing the restore operation by a restore interface        module that executes on the file server in conjunction with a        media agent that is associated with the secondary storage device        that comprises the secondary copy of the first file; and

responding to the read request by the file server, based on at least oneof (a) the restored first file and (b) the data retrieved from the oneor more storage volumes in the file server.

SYA1. A system for dynamically managing storage for network sharesconfigured in a file server, the system comprising:

a file server in communication with a first client computing device,wherein the file server comprises a plurality of storage volumes;

a secondary storage device in communication with the file server;

wherein the file server is configured to:

receive from the client computing device, a write request in referenceto a first file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a first network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        write request;

execute a cache manager that is configured to identify one or morestorage volumes configured in the file server that are associated withthe first network share,

-   -   wherein each of the one or more storage volumes comprises a        respective first-network-share-specific folder that stores data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share, thereby associating each of the one or more storage        volumes with the first network share;

if a first storage volume of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store a first portion of the first file, the cache manager isconfigured to store the first portion of the first file to therespective first-network-share-specific folder in the first storagevolume;

if the first storage volume of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share lacks sufficient storage spaceto store the first portion of the first file, the cache manager isconfigured to:

-   -   (a) identify a second storage volume of the one or more storage        volumes that are associated with the first network share, which        second volume comprises sufficient storage space to store the        first portion of the first file, and    -   (b) regardless of whether other portions of the first file are        stored to the same second storage volume, store the first        portion of the first file to the respective        first-network-share-specific folder in the identified second        storage volume; and

if all of the one or more storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share lack sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file, the cache manager is configured todynamically expand the amount of storage available for the first networkshare on the file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying a third storage volume configured in the file        server, wherein the third storage volume comprises sufficient        storage space to store the first portion of the first file, and    -   (ii) configuring in the third storage volume a        first-network-share-specific folder for storing data for the        first network share and only for the first network share,        -   thereby associating the third storage volume with the first            network share, and    -   (iii) storing the first portion of the first file to the        first-network-share-specific folder configured in the third        storage volume to dynamically expand the amount of storage        available for the first network share on the file server.

SYA2. The system of claim SYA1 wherein if none of the one or morestorage volumes that are associated with the first network sharecomprise sufficient storage space to store the first portion of thefirst file and no additional storage volumes are available in the fileserver for dynamically expanding the amount of storage available for thefirst network share, the cache manager is configured to:

-   -   (A) free up storage space for the first network share by pruning        data, by the cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the one or        more storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned            to free up storage space for the first network share, and    -   (B) after the pruning, store the first portion of the first file        to a first-network-share-specific folder in one of the one or        more storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share.

SYA2a. The system of claim SYA2 wherein the pruning is also based on anage of the data that has been previously backed up.

SYA2b. The system of claim SYA2 wherein the pruning is also based on asize of a file that has been previously backed up.

SYA2c. The system of claim SYA2 wherein the amount of data that ispruned to free up storage space for the first network share issufficient to reach an administrable threshold.

SYA2d. The system of claim SYA2 wherein criteria for pruning the datathat has been previously backed up are administrable via a storagemanager that is in communication with the file server.

SYA2-2. The system of claim SYA1 wherein for storage to the firstnetwork share on the file server the first file is divided into aplurality of portions including the first portion, and

wherein any given portion of the first file is stored to afirst-network-share-specific folder configured on a respective one ofthe one or more storage volumes that are associated with the firstnetwork share, independently of whether another portion of the firstfile is also stored to the same one of the one or more storage volumesthat are associated with the first network share, as determined by thecache manager.

SYA3. The system of claim SYA1 wherein whether sufficient storage spaceis available to store the first portion of the first file is determinedby the cache manager based on one or more administrable thresholds.

SYA4. The system of claim SYA1 wherein the cache manager is furtherconfigured to:

for storing a second portion of the first file, identify a storagevolume of the one or more storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share, based at least in part on whether the identifiedstorage volume comprises sufficient storage space for the second portionof the first file regardless of whether the first portion of the firstfile is stored in the same storage volume.

SYA5. The system of claim SYA1 wherein the receiving of the writerequest is performed by a protocol handler configured to execute on thefile server;

wherein the protocol handler is configured to transmit the write requestto a module that executes on the file server, wherein the module isassociated with the first network share and is in communication with thecache manager, which is also associated with the first network share;

wherein the module is further configured to divide the first file into aplurality of portions including the first portion; and

wherein the module is further configured to transmit each portion of theplurality of portions to the cache manager associated with the firstnetwork share.

SYA6. The system of claim SYA1 wherein the cache manager, which isassociated with the first network share, is configured to retain anindex of which portion of the first file is stored in which storagevolume of the one or more storage volumes associated with the firstnetwork share.

SYA7. The system of claim SYA1 wherein the cache manager, which isassociated with the first network share, is configured to retaininformation about which portion of the first file is stored in whichstorage volume of the one or more storage volumes associated with thefirst network share.

SYA8. The system of claim SYA1 wherein the file server is furtherconfigured to on passing an administrative timeout interval, create anentry for the first file in a backup queue that is associated with abackup interface module that is associated with the first network share,wherein the backup interface also executes on the file server.

SYA9. The system of claim SYA8 wherein the backup queue comprises anentry for a second file that is also stored in one or more of the one ormore volumes associated with the first network share as a result ofanother write request designating the first network share received bythe file server from one of:

-   -   (A) the same client computing device as the first file, and    -   (B) a different client computing device than the first file.

SYA10. The system of claim SYA8 wherein the backup interface module isfurther configured to receive one or more instructions from a storagemanager to generate at least one secondary copy of the first file;

wherein the backup interface module is further configured to generate inconjunction with a media agent that also is configured to execute on thefile server, a secondary copy of the first file based on the one or moreinstructions received from the storage manager;

wherein the media agent is configured to store the generated secondarycopy of the first file to a secondary storage device in communicationwith the file server; and

wherein the media agent is configured to report metadata about thesecondary copy to at least one of an index server in communication withthe file server, and the storage manager.

SYA10. The system of claim SYA8 wherein the backup interface module isfurther configured to receive one or more instructions from a storagemanager to generate at least one secondary copy of the first file;

wherein the backup module is further configured to generate inconjunction with a media agent that executes on a secondary storagecomputing device in communication with the file server, a secondary copyof the first file based on the one or more instructions received fromthe storage manager;

wherein the media agent is configured to store the generated secondarycopy of the first file to a secondary storage device in communicationwith the secondary storage computing device; and

wherein the media agent is further configured to report metadata aboutthe secondary copy to at least one of an index server in communicationwith the file server, and the storage manager.

SYA12. The system of claim SYA1 wherein the file server is furtherconfigured to: receive from a client computing device, a second writerequest in reference to a second file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a second network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        second write request;    -   identifying, by a second cache manager that executes on the file        server, second one or more storage volumes configured in the        file server that are associated with the second network share,    -   wherein each of the second one or more storage volumes comprises        a respective second-network-share-specific folder that stores        data for the second network share and only for the second        network share,    -   wherein at least one of the second one or more storage volumes        is the same as one of the one or more storage volumes associated        with the first network share, and    -   wherein the second cache manager is distinct from and operates        independently of the cache manager the operates in reference to        the first network share; and

if one of the second one or more storage volumes associated with thesecond network share comprises sufficient storage space to store a firstportion of the second file, store the first portion of the second filethereto by the second cache manager,

-   -   regardless of whether any data for the first network share is        stored on the same one of the second one or more storage        volumes.

SYA13. The system of claim SYA12 further comprising:

if all of the second one or more storage volumes that are associatedwith the second network share lack sufficient storage space to store thefirst portion of the second file, the second cache manager is configuredto dynamically expand the amount of storage available for the secondnetwork share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying a fourth storage volume configured in the file        server, wherein the fourth storage volume comprises sufficient        storage space to store the first portion of the second file        regardless of whether any data for the first network share is        stored in the fourth storage volume, and    -   (ii) configuring in the fourth storage volume a        second-network-share-specific folder for storing data for the        second network share and only for the second network share,        -   thereby associating the fourth storage volume with the            second network share, and    -   (iii) storing the first portion of the second file to the        second-network-share-specific folder configured in the fourth        storage volume to dynamically expand the amount of storage        available for the second network share on the file server.

SYA14. The system of claim SYA13 wherein expanding the amount of storageavailable for the first network share on the file server operatesmutually independently from expanding the amount of storage availablefor the second network share on the file server.

SYA15. The system of claim SYA1 wherein the file server is furtherconfigured to:

receive from a client computing device, a read request in reference tothe first file,

-   -   wherein the read request designates the first network share        configured in the file server as a source for the read request;

based on the designated first network share in the read request, directthe read request to the cache manager that is associated with the firstnetwork share,

-   -   wherein the directing is performed by a module that is distinct        from the cache manager and that is also configured to execute on        the file server;

if the cache manager determines that the read request can be served atleast in part from the one or more storage volumes configured in thefile server that are associated with the first network share, the cachemanager is further configured to retrieve at least some of the datarequested by the read request from one or morefirst-network-share-specific folders configured in respective storagevolumes in the one or more storage volumes associated with the firstnetwork share;

if the cache manager determines that the read request cannot be servedfrom the one or more volumes in the file server that are associated withthe first network share, the cache manager is further configured totrigger a restore operation to restore the first file from a secondarycopy stored on a secondary storage device in communication with the fileserver, to be performed by a restore interface module that is configuredto execute on the file server in conjunction with a media agent that isassociated with the secondary storage device that comprises thesecondary copy of the first file; and

respond to the read request, based on at least one of (a) the restoredfirst file and (b) the data retrieved from the one or more storagevolumes in the file server.

MMA1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructionsthat, when executed by at least one file server, cause the file serverto perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a writerequest in reference to a first file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a first network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        write request;

identifying, by a cache manager that executes on the file server, one ormore storage volumes configured in the file server that are associatedwith the first network share,

-   -   wherein each of the one or more storage volumes comprises a        respective first-network-share-specific folder that stores data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating each of the one or more storage volumes            with the first network share;

if a first storage volume of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store a first portion of the first file, storing, by the cachemanager, the first portion of the first file to the respectivefirst-network-share-specific folder in the first storage volume;

if the first storage volume of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share lacks sufficient storage spaceto store the first portion of the first file,

-   -   (a) identifying by the cache manager a second storage volume of        the one or more storage volumes that are associated with the        first network share, which second volume comprises sufficient        storage space to store the first portion of the first file, and    -   (b) regardless of whether other portions of the first file are        stored to the same second storage volume,        -   storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the            first file to the respective first-network-share-specific            folder in the identified second storage volume; and

if none of the one or more storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file, dynamically expanding the amount of storageavailable for the first network share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying, by the cache manager a third storage volume        configured in the file server, wherein the third storage volume        comprises sufficient storage space to store the first portion of        the first file,    -   (ii) configuring by the cache manager in the third storage        volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating the third storage volume with the first            network share, and    -   (iii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the        first file to the first-network-share-specific folder configured        in the third storage volume.

MMA2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1, theoperations further comprising:

if none of the one or more storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file and no additional storage volumes areavailable in the file server for dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the first network share,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by        pruning data, by the cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the one or        more storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned            to free up storage space for the first network share, and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the cache manager, the first        portion of the first file to a first-network-share-specific        folder in one of the one or more storage volumes that are        associated with the first network share.

MMA2a. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MA2 whereinthe pruning is also based on an age of the data that has been previouslybacked up.

MMA2b. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MA2 whereinthe pruning is also based on a size of a file that has been previouslybacked up.

MMA2c. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MA2 whereinthe amount of data that is pruned to free up storage space for the firstnetwork share is sufficient to reach an administrable threshold.

MMA2d. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MA2 whereincriteria for pruning the data that has been previously backed up areadministrable via a storage manager that is in communication with thefile server.

MMA2-2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1wherein for storage to the first network share on the file server thefirst file is divided into a plurality of portions including the firstportion, and

wherein any given portion of the first file is stored to afirst-network-share-specific folder configured on a respective one ofthe one or more storage volumes that are associated with the firstnetwork share, independently of whether another portion of the firstfile is also stored to the same one of the one or more storage volumesthat are associated with the first network share, as determined by thecache manager.

MMA3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1 whereinwhether sufficient storage space is available to store the first portionof the first file is determined by the cache manager based on one ormore administrable thresholds.

MMA4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1, theoperations further comprising:

for storing a second portion of the first file, identifying by the cachemanager a storage volume of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share, based at least in part onwhether the identified storage volume comprises sufficient storage spacefor the second portion of the first file regardless of whether the firstportion of the first file is stored in the same storage volume.

MMA5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1 whereinthe receiving of the write request is performed by a protocol handlerexecuting on the file server; and further comprising:

transmitting, by the protocol handler, the write request to a modulethat executes on the file server, wherein the module is associated withthe first network share and is in communication with the cache manager,which is also associated with the first network share;

dividing, by the module, the first file into a plurality of portionsincluding the first portion; and

transmitting, by the module, each portion of the plurality of portionsto the cache manager associated with the first network share.

MMA6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1 whereinthe cache manager, which is associated with the first network share,retains an index of which portion of the first file is stored in whichstorage volume of the one or more storage volumes associated with thefirst network share.

MMA7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1 whereinthe cache manager, which is associated with the first network share,retains information about which portion of the first file is stored inwhich storage volume of the one or more storage volumes associated withthe first network share.

MMA8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1, theoperations further comprising:

on passing an administrative timeout interval, creating an entry for thefirst file in a backup queue that is associated with a backup interfacemodule that is associated with the first network share, wherein thebackup interface also executes on the file server.

MMA9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA8 whereinthe backup queue comprises an entry for a second file that is alsostored in one or more of the one or more volumes associated with thefirst network share as a result of another write request designating thefirst network share received by the file server from one of:

-   -   (A) the same client computing device as the first file, and    -   (B) a different client computing device than the first file.

MMA10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA8 furthercomprising:

receiving, by the backup interface module, one or more instructions froma storage manager to generate at least one secondary copy of the firstfile;

generating, by the backup module in conjunction with a media agent thatalso executes on the file server, a secondary copy of the first filebased on the one or more instructions received from the storage manager;

storing, by the media agent, the generated secondary copy of the firstfile to a secondary storage device in communication with the fileserver; and

reporting metadata about the secondary copy to at least one of an indexserver in communication with the file server, and the storage manager.

MMA11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA8 furthercomprising:

receiving, by the backup interface module, one or more instructions froma storage manager to generate at least one secondary copy of the firstfile;

generating, by the backup module in conjunction with a media agent thatexecutes on a secondary storage computing device in communication withthe file server, a secondary copy of the first file based on the one ormore instructions received from the storage manager;

storing, by the media agent, the generated secondary copy of the firstfile to a secondary storage device in communication with the secondarystorage computing device; and

reporting metadata about the secondary copy to at least one of an indexserver in communication with the file server, and the storage manager.

MMA12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1 furthercomprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a secondwrite request in reference to a second file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a second network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        second write request;    -   identifying, by a second cache manager that executes on the file        server, second one or more storage volumes configured in the        file server that are associated with the second network share,    -   wherein each of the second one or more storage volumes comprises        a respective second-network-share-specific folder that stores        data for the second network share and only for the second        network share,    -   wherein at least one of the second one or more storage volumes        is the same as one of the one or more storage volumes associated        with the first network share, and    -   wherein the second cache manager is distinct from and operates        independently of the cache manager the operates in reference to        the first network share;

if one of the second one or more storage volumes associated with thesecond network share comprises sufficient storage space to store a firstportion of the second file, storing the first portion of the second filethereto by the second cache manager,

-   -   regardless of whether any data for the first network share is        stored on the same one of the second one or more storage        volumes.

MMA13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1, theoperations further comprising:

if all of the second one or more storage volumes that are associatedwith the second network share lack sufficient storage space to store thefirst portion of the second file, dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the second network share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying, by the second cache manager a fourth storage        volume configured in the file server, wherein the fourth storage        volume comprises sufficient storage space to store the first        portion of the second file regardless of whether any data for        the first network share is stored in the fourth storage volume,        and    -   (ii) configuring, by the second cache manager, in the fourth        storage volume a second-network-share-specific folder for        storing data for the second network share and only for the        second network share,        -   thereby associating the fourth storage volume with the            second network share, and    -   (iii) storing, by the second cache manager, the first portion of        the second file to the second-network-share-specific folder        configured in the fourth storage volume to dynamically expand        the amount of storage available for the second network share on        the file server.

MMA14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA13wherein expanding the amount of storage available for the first networkshare on the file server operates mutually independently from expandingthe amount of storage available for the second network share on the fileserver.

MMA15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMA1, theoperations further comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a readrequest in reference to the first file,

-   -   wherein the read request designates the first network share        configured in the file server as a source for the read request;

based on the designated first network share in the read request,directing the read request to the cache manager that is associated withthe first network share,

-   -   wherein the directing is performed by a module that is distinct        from the cache manager and that also executes on the file        server;

if the cache manager determines that the read request can be served atleast in part from the one or more storage volumes configured in thefile server that are associated with the first network share,

-   -   retrieving, by the cache manager, at least some of the data        requested by the read request from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in respective        storage volumes in the one or more storage volumes associated        with the first network share;

if the cache manager determines that the read request cannot be servedfrom the one or more volumes in the file server that are associated withthe first network share:

-   -   (i) triggering, by the cache manager, a restore operation to        restore the first file from a secondary copy stored on a        secondary storage device in communication with the file server,        and    -   (ii) performing the restore operation by a restore interface        module that executes on the file server in conjunction with a        media agent that is associated with the secondary storage device        that comprises the secondary copy of the first file; and

responding to the read request by the file server, based on at least oneof (a) the restored first file and (b) the data retrieved from the oneor more storage volumes in the file server.

MAA1. A method for dynamically managing storage available to networkshares configured in a file server, the method comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a writerequest in reference to a first file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a first network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        write request;

identifying, by a cache manager that executes on the file server, afirst set of storage volumes configured in the file server that areassociated with the first network share,

-   -   wherein each of the first set of storage volumes comprises a        respective first-network-share-specific folder that stores data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating each of the first set of storage volumes            with the first network share;

if a first storage volume of the first set of storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store a first portion of the first file, storing, by the cachemanager, the first portion of the first file to the respectivefirst-network-share-specific folder in the first storage volumeregardless of whether other portions of the first file are stored to thesame first storage volume;

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file, dynamically expanding the amount of storageavailable for the first network share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying, by the cache manager a second storage volume        configured in the file server, outside the first set, that        comprises sufficient storage space to store the first portion of        the first file,    -   (ii) configuring by the cache manager in the second storage        volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating the second storage volume with the first            network share, and        -   thereby adding the second volume to the first set of storage            volumes that are associated with the first network share,            regardless of whether the second volume comprises data for            another network share configured on the file server, and    -   (iii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the        first file to the first-network-share-specific folder configured        in the second storage volume.

MAA2. The method of claim MAA1 further comprising:

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file and no additional storage volumes areavailable in the file server for dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the first network share,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by        pruning data, by the cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first set        of storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned            to free up storage space for the first network share, and    -   (B) after the pruning operation, storing, by the cache manager,        the first portion of the first file to a        first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set of        storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share.

MAA3. The method of claim MAA1 further comprising:

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file and no additional storage volumes areavailable in the file server for dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the first network share, freeing up storage spacefor the first network share by:

-   -   (A) identifying, by the cache manager, based on administrable        criteria, a set of data to prune from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first set        of storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share,    -   (B) causing the identified set of data to be backed up to a        secondary storage device in communication with the file server,    -   (C) pruning the identified set of data, by the cache manager,        from the first set of storage volumes that are associated with        the first network share, and    -   (B) after the pruning operation, storing, by the cache manager,        the first portion of the first file to a        first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set of        storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share.

MB1. A method for dynamically and mutually independently managingstorage for multiple network shares configured in a file server, themethod comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a writerequest in reference to a first file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a first network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        write request;

identifying, by a first cache manager which is associated with the firstnetwork share and which executes on the file server, a first set ofstorage volumes configured in the file server that are associated withthe first network share,

-   -   wherein each of the first set of storage volumes comprises a        respective first-network-share-specific folder that stores data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share, thereby associating each of the first set of storage        volumes with the first network share;

if one of the first set of storage volumes associated with the firstnetwork share comprises sufficient storage space to store a firstportion of the first file, storing by the first cache manager the firstportion of the first file to the first-network-share-specific folderconfigured therein regardless of whether other portions of the firstfile are stored to the same one of the first set of storage volumes;

if none of the first set of storage volumes comprise sufficient storagespace to store the first portion of the first file, dynamicallyexpanding the amount of storage available for the first network share onthe file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying, by the first cache manager a second storage        volume configured in the file server, outside the first set,        that comprises sufficient storage space to store the first        portion of the first file, and    -   (ii) configuring, by the first cache manager, in the second        storage volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing        data for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating the second storage volume with the first            network share, and    -   (iii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the        first file to the first-network-share-specific folder configured        in the second storage volume to dynamically expand the amount of        storage available for the first network share on the file        server;

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a secondwrite request in reference to a second file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a second network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        second write request;    -   identifying, by a second cache manager which is associated with        the second network share and which executes on the file server,        a second set of storage volumes configured in the file server        that are associated with the second network share,    -   wherein each of the second set of storage volumes comprises a        respective second-network-share-specific folder that stores data        for the second network share and only for the second network        share,    -   wherein at least one of the second set of storage volumes is the        same as one of the first set of storage volumes associated with        the first network share, and    -   wherein the second cache manager is distinct from and operates        independently of the first cache manager;

if one of the second set of storage volumes associated with the secondnetwork share comprises sufficient storage space to store a firstportion of the second file, storing by the second cache manager thefirst portion of the second file to the second-network-share-specificfolder configured therein,

-   -   regardless of whether any data for the first network share is        stored on the    -   same one of the second set of storage volumes; and

if none of the storage volumes in the second set comprise sufficientstorage space to store the first portion of the second file, dynamicallyexpanding the amount of storage available for the second network shareon the file server by:

-   -   (a) identifying, by the second cache manager a third storage        volume configured in the file server, outside the second set,        wherein the third storage volume comprises sufficient storage        space to store the first portion of the second file regardless        of whether any data for the first network share is stored in the        third storage volume, and    -   (b) configuring, by the cache manager, in the third storage        volume a second-network-share-specific folder for storing data        for the second network share and only for the second network        share,        -   thereby associating the third storage volume with the second            network share, and    -   (c) storing, by the second cache manager, the first portion of        the second file to the second-network-share-specific folder        configured in the third storage volume to dynamically expand the        amount of storage available for the second network share on the        file server; and

wherein expanding the amount of storage available for the first networkshare on the file server operates mutually independently from expandingthe amount of storage available for the second network share on the fileserver.

MB2. The method of claim MB1 further comprising:

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file and no additional storage volumes areavailable in the file server for dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the first network share,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by        pruning data, by the first cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first set        of storage volumes,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned,            and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the first cache manager, the        first portion of the first file to a        first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set of        storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share; and

wherein freeing up storage space for the first network share on the fileserver by pruning data operates mutually independently from expandingthe amount of storage available for the second network share on the fileserver.

MB3. The method of claim MB1 further comprising:

if none of the second set of storage volumes that are associated withthe second network share comprise sufficient storage space to store thefirst portion of the second file and no additional storage volumes areavailable in the file server for dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the second network share,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the second network share by        pruning data, by the second cache manager, from one or more        second-network-share-specific folders configured in the second        set of storage volumes,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned,            and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the second cache manager, the        first portion of the second file to a        second-network-share-specific folder in one of the second set of        storage volumes that are associated with the second network        share; and

wherein freeing up storage space for the second network share on thefile server by pruning data operates mutually independently fromexpanding the amount of storage available for the first network share onthe file server.

SYB1. A system for dynamically managing storage for multiple networkshares configured in a file server, the system comprising:

a file server in communication with a first client computing device,wherein the file server comprises a plurality of storage volumes;

a secondary storage device in communication with the file server;

wherein the file server is configured to perform operations comprising:

-   -   receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a        write request in reference to a first file,        -   wherein the write request designates a first network share            configured in the file server as a storage destination of            the write request;    -   identifying, by a first cache manager which is associated with        the first network share and which executes on the file server, a        first set of storage volumes configured in the file server that        are associated with the first network share,        -   wherein each of the first set of storage volumes comprises a            respective first-network-share-specific folder that stores            data for the first network share and only for the first            network share, thereby associating each of the first set of            storage volumes with the first network share;    -   if one of the first set of storage volumes associated with the        first network share comprises sufficient storage space to store        a first portion of the first file, storing by the first cache        manager the first portion of the first file to the        first-network-share-specific folder configured therein        regardless of whether other portions of the first file are        stored to the same one of the first set of storage volumes;    -   if none of the first set of storage volumes comprise sufficient        storage space to store the first portion of the first file,        dynamically expanding the amount of storage available for the        first network share on the file server by:        -   (i) identifying, by the first cache manager a second storage            volume configured in the file server, outside the first set,            that comprises sufficient storage space to store the first            portion of the first file, and        -   (ii) configuring, by the first cache manager, in the second            storage volume a first-network-share-specific folder for            storing data for the first network share and only for the            first network share,            -   thereby associating the second storage volume with the                first network share, and        -   (iii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of            the first file to the first-network-share-specific folder            configured in the second storage volume to dynamically            expand the amount of storage available for the first network            share on the file server;    -   receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a        second write request in reference to a second file,        -   wherein the write request designates a second network share            configured in the file server as a storage destination of            the second write request;        -   identifying, by a second cache manager which is associated            with the second network share and which executes on the file            server, a second set of storage volumes configured in the            file server that are associated with the second network            share,        -   wherein each of the second set of storage volumes comprises            a respective second-network-share-specific folder that            stores data for the second network share and only for the            second network share,        -   wherein at least one of the second set of storage volumes is            the same as one of the first set of storage volumes            associated with the first network share, and        -   wherein the second cache manager is distinct from and            operates independently of the first cache manager;    -   if one of the second set of storage volumes associated with the        second network share comprises sufficient storage space to store        a first portion of the second file, storing by the second cache        manager the first portion of the second file to the        second-network-share-specific folder configured therein,        -   regardless of whether any data for the first network share            is stored on the same one of the second set of storage            volumes; and    -   if none of the storage volumes in the second set comprise        sufficient storage space to store the first portion of the        second file, dynamically expanding the amount of storage        available for the second network share on the file server by:        -   (a) identifying, by the second cache manager a third storage            volume configured in the file server, outside the second            set, wherein the third storage volume comprises sufficient            storage space to store the first portion of the second file            regardless of whether any data for the first network share            is stored in the third storage volume, and        -   (b) configuring, by the cache manager, in the third storage            volume a second-network-share-specific folder for storing            data for the second network share and only for the second            network share,            -   thereby associating the third storage volume with the                second network share, and        -   (c) storing, by the second cache manager, the first portion            of the second file to the second-network-share-specific            folder configured in the third storage volume to dynamically            expand the amount of storage available for the second            network share on the file server; and    -   wherein expanding the amount of storage available for the first        network share on the file server operates mutually independently        from expanding the amount of storage available for the second        network share on the file server.

SYB2. The system of claim SYB1 the operations further comprising:

-   -   if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated        with the first network share comprise sufficient storage space        to store the first portion of the first file and no additional        storage volumes are available in the file server for dynamically        expanding the amount of storage available for the first network        share,        -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by            pruning data, by the first cache manager, from one or more            first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first            set of storage volumes,            -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up                from the file server to a secondary storage device can                be pruned, and        -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the first cache manager,            the first portion of the first file to a            first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set            of storage volumes that are associated with the first            network share; and    -   wherein freeing up storage space for the first network share on        the file server by pruning data operates mutually independently        from expanding the amount of storage available for the second        network share on the file server.

SYB3. The system of claim SYB1 the operations further comprising:

-   -   if none of the second set of storage volumes that are associated        with the second network share comprise sufficient storage space        to store the first portion of the second file and no additional        storage volumes are available in the file server for dynamically        expanding the amount of storage available for the second network        share,        -   (A) freeing up storage space for the second network share by            pruning data, by the second cache manager, from one or more            second-network-share-specific folders configured in the            second set of storage volumes,            -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up                from the file server to a secondary storage device can                be pruned, and        -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the second cache manager,            the first portion of the second file to a            second-network-share-specific folder in one of the second            set of storage volumes that are associated with the second            network share; and    -   wherein freeing up storage space for the second network share on        the file server by pruning data operates mutually independently        from expanding the amount of storage available for the first        network share on the file server.

MMB1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructionsthat, when executed by at least one file server, cause the file serverto perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a writerequest in reference to a first file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a first network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        write request;

identifying, by a first cache manager which is associated with the firstnetwork share and which executes on the file server, a first set ofstorage volumes configured in the file server that are associated withthe first network share,

-   -   wherein each of the first set of storage volumes comprises a        respective first-network-share-specific folder that stores data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share, thereby associating each of the first set of storage        volumes with the first network share;

if one of the first set of storage volumes associated with the firstnetwork share comprises sufficient storage space to store a firstportion of the first file, storing by the first cache manager the firstportion of the first file to the first-network-share-specific folderconfigured therein regardless of whether other portions of the firstfile are stored to the same one of the first set of storage volumes;

if none of the first set of storage volumes comprise sufficient storagespace to store the first portion of the first file, dynamicallyexpanding the amount of storage available for the first network share onthe file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying, by the first cache manager a second storage        volume configured in the file server, outside the first set,        that comprises sufficient storage space to store the first        portion of the first file, and    -   (ii) configuring, by the first cache manager, in the second        storage volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing        data for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating the second storage volume with the first            network share, and    -   (iii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the        first file to the first-network-share-specific folder configured        in the second storage volume to dynamically expand the amount of        storage available for the first network share on the file        server;

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a secondwrite request in reference to a second file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a second network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        second write request;    -   identifying, by a second cache manager which is associated with        the second network share and which executes on the file server,        a second set of storage volumes configured in the file server        that are associated with the second network share,    -   wherein each of the second set of storage volumes comprises a        respective second-network-share-specific folder that stores data        for the second network share and only for the second network        share,    -   wherein at least one of the second set of storage volumes is the        same as one of the first set of storage volumes associated with        the first network share, and    -   wherein the second cache manager is distinct from and operates        independently of the first cache manager;

if one of the second set of storage volumes associated with the secondnetwork share comprises sufficient storage space to store a firstportion of the second file, storing by the second cache manager thefirst portion of the second file to the second-network-share-specificfolder configured therein,

-   -   regardless of whether any data for the first network share is        stored on the    -   same one of the second set of storage volumes; and

if none of the storage volumes in the second set comprise sufficientstorage space to store the first portion of the second file, dynamicallyexpanding the amount of storage available for the second network shareon the file server by:

-   -   (a) identifying, by the second cache manager a third storage        volume configured in the file server, outside the second set,        wherein the third storage volume comprises sufficient storage        space to store the first portion of the second file regardless        of whether any data for the first network share is stored in the        third storage volume, and    -   (b) configuring, by the cache manager, in the third storage        volume a second-network-share-specific folder for storing data        for the second network share and only for the second network        share,        -   thereby associating the third storage volume with the second            network share, and    -   (c) storing, by the second cache manager, the first portion of        the second file to the second-network-share-specific folder        configured in the third storage volume to dynamically expand the        amount of storage available for the second network share on the        file server; and

wherein expanding the amount of storage available for the first networkshare on the file server operates mutually independently from expandingthe amount of storage available for the second network share on the fileserver.

MMB2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMB1, theoperations further comprising:

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file and no additional storage volumes areavailable in the file server for dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the first network share,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by        pruning data, by the first cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first set        of storage volumes,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned,            and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the first cache manager, the        first portion of the first file to a        first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set of        storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share; and

wherein freeing up storage space for the first network share on the fileserver by pruning data operates mutually independently from expandingthe amount of storage available for the second network share on the fileserver.

MMB3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMB1, theoperations further comprising:

if none of the second set of storage volumes that are associated withthe second network share comprise sufficient storage space to store thefirst portion of the second file and no additional storage volumes areavailable in the file server for dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the second network share,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the second network share by        pruning data, by the second cache manager, from one or more        second-network-share-specific folders configured in the second        set of storage volumes,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned,            and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the second cache manager, the        first portion of the second file to a        second-network-share-specific folder in one of the second set of        storage volumes that are associated with the second network        share; and

wherein freeing up storage space for the second network share on thefile server by pruning data operates mutually independently fromexpanding the amount of storage available for the first network share onthe file server.

MC1. A method for dynamically managing storage for network sharesconfigured in a file server, the method comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a writerequest in reference to a first file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a first network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        write request;

identifying, by a first cache manager which is associated with the firstnetwork share and which executes on the file server, a first set ofstorage volumes configured in the file server that are associated withthe first network share,

-   -   wherein each of the first set of storage volumes comprises a        respective first-network-share-specific folder that stores data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share, thereby associating each of the first set of storage        volumes with the first network share;

if one of the first set of storage volumes associated with the firstnetwork share comprises sufficient storage space to store a firstportion of the first file, storing by the first cache manager the firstportion of the first file to the first-network-share-specific folderconfigured therein regardless of whether other portions of the firstfile are stored to the same one of the first set of storage volumes;

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by        pruning data, by the first cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first set        of storage volumes,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned,            and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the first cache manager, the        first portion of the first file to a        first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set of        storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share.

MC2. The method of claim MC1 further comprising:

if none of the first set of storage volumes comprise sufficient storagespace to store the first portion of the first file and a second storagevolume is configured in the file server, outside the first set, thatcomprises sufficient storage space to store the first portion of thefirst file, dynamically expanding the amount of storage available forthe first network share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) configuring by the first cache manager in the second storage        volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating the second storage volume with the first            network share, and    -   (ii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the        first file to the first-network-share-specific folder configured        in the second storage volume.

SYC1. A system for dynamically managing storage for network sharesconfigured in a file server, the system comprising:

a file server in communication with a first client computing device,wherein the file server comprises a plurality of storage volumes;

a secondary storage device in communication with the file server;

wherein the file server is configured to perform operations comprising:

-   -   receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a        write request in reference to a first file,        -   wherein the write request designates a first network share            configured in the file server as a storage destination of            the write request;    -   identifying, by a first cache manager which is associated with        the first network share and which executes on the file server, a        first set of storage volumes configured in the file server that        are associated with the first network share,        -   wherein each of the first set of storage volumes comprises a            respective first-network-share-specific folder that stores            data for the first network share and only for the first            network share, thereby associating each of the first set of            storage volumes with the first network share;    -   if one of the first set of storage volumes associated with the        first network share comprises sufficient storage space to store        a first portion of the first file, storing by the first cache        manager the first portion of the first file to the        first-network-share-specific folder configured therein        regardless of whether other portions of the first file are        stored to the same one of the first set of storage volumes;    -   if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated        with the first network share comprise sufficient storage space        to store the first portion of the first file,        -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by            pruning data, by the first cache manager, from one or more            first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first            set of storage volumes,            -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up                from the file server to a secondary storage device can                be pruned, and        -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the first cache manager,            the first portion of the first file to a            first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set            of storage volumes that are associated with the first            network share.

SYC2. The system of claim SYC1, the operations further comprising:

-   -   if none of the first set of storage volumes comprise sufficient        storage space to store the first portion of the first file and a        second storage volume is configured in the file server, outside        the first set, that comprises sufficient storage space to store        the first portion of the first file, dynamically expanding the        amount of storage available for the first network share on the        file server by:        -   (i) configuring by the first cache manager in the second            storage volume a first-network-share-specific folder for            storing data for the first network share and only for the            first network share,            -   thereby associating the second storage volume with the                first network share, and        -   (ii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the            first file to the first-network-share-specific folder            configured in the second storage volume.

MMC1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructionsthat, when executed by at least one file server, cause the file serverto perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a writerequest in reference to a first file,

-   -   wherein the write request designates a first network share        configured in the file server as a storage destination of the        write request;

identifying, by a first cache manager which is associated with the firstnetwork share and which executes on the file server, a first set ofstorage volumes configured in the file server that are associated withthe first network share,

-   -   wherein each of the first set of storage volumes comprises a        respective first-network-share-specific folder that stores data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share, thereby associating each of the first set of storage        volumes with the first network share;

if one of the first set of storage volumes associated with the firstnetwork share comprises sufficient storage space to store a firstportion of the first file, storing by the first cache manager the firstportion of the first file to the first-network-share-specific folderconfigured therein regardless of whether other portions of the firstfile are stored to the same one of the first set of storage volumes;

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the first file,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by        pruning data, by the first cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first set        of storage volumes,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned,            and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the first cache manager, the        first portion of the first file to a        first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set of        storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share.

MMC2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MMC1, theoperations further comprising:

if none of the first set of storage volumes comprise sufficient storagespace to store the first portion of the first file and a second storagevolume is configured in the file server, outside the first set, thatcomprises sufficient storage space to store the first portion of thefirst file, dynamically expanding the amount of storage available forthe first network share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) configuring by the first cache manager in the second storage        volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing data        for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating the second storage volume with the first            network share, and    -   (ii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the        first file to the first-network-share-specific folder configured        in the second storage volume.

MR1. A method for retrieving data from a network share cache ifavailable instead of retrieving the data from a secondary copy, themethod comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a readrequest in reference to a first file,

-   -   wherein the read request designates a first network share        configured in the file server as a source for the read request;

based on the designated first network share in the read request,directing the read request to a first cache manager that is associatedwith the first network share, wherein the first cache manager executeson the file server,

-   -   wherein the directing is performed by a module that is distinct        from the first cache manager and that also executes on the file        server;

if the first cache manager determines that the read request can beserved at least in part from a first set of storage volumes configuredin the file server that are associated with the first network share,

-   -   retrieving, by the first cache manager, at least some of the        data requested by the read request from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in respective        storage volumes in the first set;

if the first cache manager determines that the read request cannot beserved from the first set of storage volumes in the file server:

-   -   (i) triggering, by the first cache manager, a restore operation        to restore the first file from a secondary copy stored on a        secondary storage device in communication with the file server,        and    -   (ii) performing the restore operation by a restore interface        module that executes on the file server in conjunction with a        media agent that is associated with the secondary storage device        that comprises the secondary copy of the first file; and

responding to the read request by the file server, based on at least oneof (a) the restored first file and (b) the data retrieved from the firstset of storage volumes in the file server.

MR2. The method of claim MR1 further comprising:

dividing, by the module, the restored first file into a plurality ofportions including a first portion;

transmitting, by the module, each portion of the plurality of portionsto the first cache manager, which is associated with the first networkshare;

if a first storage volume of the first set of storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store the first portion of the restored first file, storing, bythe first cache manager, the first portion of the restored first file toa respective first-network-share-specific folder in the first storagevolume regardless of whether other portions of the restored first fileare stored to the same first storage volume; and

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the restored first file, dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the first network share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying, by the first cache manager a second storage        volume configured in the file server, outside the first set,        that comprises sufficient storage space to store the first        portion of the restored first file,    -   (ii) configuring by the first cache manager in the second        storage volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing        data for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating the second storage volume with the first            network share, and        -   thereby adding the second volume to the first set of storage            volumes that are associated with the first network share,            regardless of whether the second volume comprises data for            another network share configured on the file server, and    -   (iii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the        restored first file to the first-network-share-specific folder        configured in the second storage volume.

MR3. The method of claim MR1 further comprising:

dividing, by the module, the restored first file into a plurality ofportions including a first portion;

transmitting, by the module, each portion of the plurality of portionsto the first cache manager, which is associated with the first networkshare;

if a first storage volume of the first set of storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store the first portion of the restored first file, storing, bythe first cache manager, the first portion of the restored first file toa respective first-network-share-specific folder in the first storagevolume regardless of whether other portions of the restored first fileare stored to the same first storage volume; and

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the restored first file,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by        pruning data, by the first cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first set        of storage volumes,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned            to free up space, and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the first cache manager, the        first portion of the restored first file to a        first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set of        storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share.

MR4. The method of claim MR1 wherein the media agent also executes onthe file server.

MR5. The method of claim MR1 wherein the media agent executes on asecondary storage computing device that is in communication with thefile server and with the secondary storage device.

SYR1. A system for retrieving data from a network share cache ifavailable instead of retrieving the data from a secondary copy, thesystem comprising:

a file server in communication with a first client computing device,wherein the file server comprises a plurality of storage volumes;

a secondary storage device in communication with the file server;

wherein the file server is configured to perform operations comprising:

-   -   receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a        read request in reference to a first file,        -   wherein the read request designates a first network share            configured in the file server as a source for the read            request;    -   based on the designated first network share in the read request,        directing the read request to a first cache manager that is        associated with the first network share, wherein the first cache        manager executes on the file server,        -   wherein the directing is performed by a module that is            distinct from the first cache manager and that also executes            on the file server;    -   if the first cache manager determines that the read request can        be served at least in part from a first set of storage volumes        configured in the file server that are associated with the first        network share,        -   retrieving, by the first cache manager, at least some of the            data requested by the read request from one or more            first-network-share-specific folders configured in            respective storage volumes in the first set;    -   if the first cache manager determines that the read request        cannot be served from the first set of storage volumes in the        file server:        -   (i) triggering, by the first cache manager, a restore            operation to restore the first file from a secondary copy            stored on a secondary storage device in communication with            the file server, and        -   (ii) performing the restore operation by a restore interface            module that executes on the file server in conjunction with            a media agent that is associated with the secondary storage            device that comprises the secondary copy of the first file;            and    -   responding to the read request by the file server, based on at        least one of (a) the restored first file and (b) the data        retrieved from the first set of storage volumes in the file        server.

SYR2. The system of claim SYR1, the operations further comprising:

dividing, by the module, the restored first file into a plurality ofportions including a first portion;

transmitting, by the module, each portion of the plurality of portionsto the first cache manager, which is associated with the first networkshare;

if a first storage volume of the first set of storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store the first portion of the restored first file, storing, bythe first cache manager, the first portion of the restored first file toa respective first-network-share-specific folder in the first storagevolume regardless of whether other portions of the restored first fileare stored to the same first storage volume; and

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the restored first file, dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the first network share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying, by the first cache manager a second storage        volume configured in the file server, outside the first set,        that comprises sufficient storage space to store the first        portion of the restored first file,    -   (ii) configuring by the first cache manager in the second        storage volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing        data for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating the second storage volume with the first            network share, and        -   thereby adding the second volume to the first set of storage            volumes that are associated with the first network share,            regardless of whether the second volume comprises data for            another network share configured on the file server, and    -   (iii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the        restored first file to the first-network-share-specific folder        configured in the second storage volume.

SYR3. The system of claim SYR1, the operations further comprising:

dividing, by the module, the restored first file into a plurality ofportions including a first portion;

transmitting, by the module, each portion of the plurality of portionsto the first cache manager, which is associated with the first networkshare;

if a first storage volume of the first set of storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store the first portion of the restored first file, storing, bythe first cache manager, the first portion of the restored first file toa respective first-network-share-specific folder in the first storagevolume regardless of whether other portions of the restored first fileare stored to the same first storage volume; and

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the restored first file,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by        pruning data, by the first cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first set        of storage volumes,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned            to free up space, and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the first cache manager, the        first portion of the restored first file to a        first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set of        storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share.

SYR4. The system of claim SYR1 wherein the media agent also executes onthe file server.

SYR5. The system of claim SYR1 wherein the media agent executes on asecondary storage computing device that is in communication with thefile server and with the secondary storage device.

MMR1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructionsthat, when executed by at least one file server, cause the file serverto perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a readrequest in reference to a first file,

-   -   wherein the read request designates a first network share        configured in the file server as a source for the read request;

based on the designated first network share in the read request,directing the read request to a first cache manager that is associatedwith the first network share, wherein the first cache manager executeson the file server,

-   -   wherein the directing is performed by a module that is distinct        from the first cache manager and that also executes on the file        server;

if the first cache manager determines that the read request can beserved at least in part from a first set of storage volumes configuredin the file server that are associated with the first network share,

-   -   retrieving, by the first cache manager, at least some of the        data requested by the read request from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in respective        storage volumes in the first set;

if the first cache manager determines that the read request cannot beserved from the first set of storage volumes in the file server:

-   -   (i) triggering, by the first cache manager, a restore operation        to restore the first file from a secondary copy stored on a        secondary storage device in communication with the file server,        and    -   (ii) performing the restore operation by a restore interface        module that executes on the file server in conjunction with a        media agent that is associated with the secondary storage device        that comprises the secondary copy of the first file; and

responding to the read request by the file server, based on at least oneof (a) the restored first file and (b) the data retrieved from the firstset of storage volumes in the file server.

MMR2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MR1, theoperations further comprising:

dividing, by the module, the restored first file into a plurality ofportions including a first portion;

transmitting, by the module, each portion of the plurality of portionsto the first cache manager, which is associated with the first networkshare;

if a first storage volume of the first set of storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store the first portion of the restored first file, storing, bythe first cache manager, the first portion of the restored first file toa respective first-network-share-specific folder in the first storagevolume regardless of whether other portions of the restored first fileare stored to the same first storage volume; and

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the restored first file, dynamically expanding the amount ofstorage available for the first network share on the file server by:

-   -   (i) identifying, by the first cache manager a second storage        volume configured in the file server, outside the first set,        that comprises sufficient storage space to store the first        portion of the restored first file,    -   (ii) configuring by the first cache manager in the second        storage volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing        data for the first network share and only for the first network        share,        -   thereby associating the second storage volume with the first            network share, and        -   thereby adding the second volume to the first set of storage            volumes that are associated with the first network share,            regardless of whether the second volume comprises data for            another network share configured on the file server, and    -   (iii) storing, by the cache manager, the first portion of the        restored first file to the first-network-share-specific folder        configured in the second storage volume.

MMR3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MR1, theoperations further comprising:

dividing, by the module, the restored first file into a plurality ofportions including a first portion;

transmitting, by the module, each portion of the plurality of portionsto the first cache manager, which is associated with the first networkshare;

if a first storage volume of the first set of storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store the first portion of the restored first file, storing, bythe first cache manager, the first portion of the restored first file toa respective first-network-share-specific folder in the first storagevolume regardless of whether other portions of the restored first fileare stored to the same first storage volume; and

if none of the first set of storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space to store the firstportion of the restored first file,

-   -   (A) freeing up storage space for the first network share by        pruning data, by the first cache manager, from one or more        first-network-share-specific folders configured in the first set        of storage volumes,        -   wherein only data that has been previously backed up from            the file server to a secondary storage device can be pruned            to free up space, and    -   (B) after the pruning, storing, by the first cache manager, the        first portion of the restored first file to a        first-network-share-specific folder in one of the first set of        storage volumes that are associated with the first network        share.

MMR4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MR1 whereinthe media agent also executes on the file server.

MMR5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim MR1 whereinthe media agent executes on a secondary storage computing device that isin communication with the file server and with the secondary storagedevice.

EE1. A method for performing an infinite backup operation in a datastorage system, the method comprising:

-   -   with a first computing device comprising one or more hardware        processors and in communication with one or more secondary        storage devices:        -   receiving, from a second computing device, a request to            generate network path information associated with the client            computing device, the network path information identifying a            location within the one or more secondary storage devices            that is associated with the client computing device, the            request including client information identifying at least a            data type of primary data stored on one or more primary            storage devices associated with the client computing device;        -   generating the network path information based on the            received client information;        -   transmitting the generated network path information to the            second computing device;        -   receiving, from the client computing device, a request to            store a copy of the primary data currently stored on the one            or more primary storage devices onto the one or more            secondary storage devices associated with the first            computing device as part of a data protection operation, the            request including the network path information generated by            the first computing device; and        -   causing the copy of the primary data to be stored in the            location within the one or more secondary storage devices            associated with the client computing device based on the            network path information.

EE2. A system for performing an infinite backup operation, the methodcomprising:

-   -   one or more secondary storage computing devices comprising        computer hardware and configured to store backup copies of        client data associated with a client computing device;    -   a first computing device comprising computer hardware and in        network communication with the client computing device, wherein        the first computing device is configured to:        -   receive, from a second computing device, a request to            generate network path information associated with the client            computing device, the network path information identifying a            location within the one or more secondary storage devices            that is associated with the client computing device, the            request including client information identifying at least a            data type of primary data stored on one or more primary            storage devices associated with the client computing device;        -   generate the network path information based on the received            client information;        -   transmit the generated network path information to the            second computing device;        -   receive, from the client computing device, a request to            store a copy of the primary data currently stored on the one            or more primary storage devices onto the one or more            secondary storage devices associated with the first            computing device as part of a data protection operation, the            request including the network path information generated by            the first computing device; and        -   cause the copy of the primary data to be stored in the            location within the one or more secondary storage devices            associated with the client computing device based on the            network path information.

In other embodiments, a system or systems may operate according to oneor more of the methods and/or according to the computer-readable mediarecited in the preceding paragraphs. In yet other embodiments, a methodor methods may operate according to one or more of the systems and/oraccording to the computer-readable media recited in the precedingparagraphs. In yet more embodiments, a computer-readable medium ormedia, excluding transitory propagating signals, may cause one or morecomputing devices having one or more processors and non-transitorycomputer-readable memory to operate according to one or more of thesystems and/or methods recited in the preceding paragraphs.

Terminology

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense, i.e., in the sense of “including, but notlimited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” or anyvariant thereof means any connection or coupling, either direct orindirect, between two or more elements; the coupling or connectionbetween the elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof.Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similarimport, when used in this application, refer to this application as awhole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where thecontext permits, words using the singular or plural number may alsoinclude the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or” inreference to a list of two or more items, covers all of the followinginterpretations of the word: any one of the items in the list, all ofthe items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.Likewise the term “and/or” in reference to a list of two or more items,covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any one of theitems in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination ofthe items in the list.

In some embodiments, certain operations, acts, events, or functions ofany of the algorithms described herein can be performed in a differentsequence, can be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., not allare necessary for the practice of the algorithms). In certainembodiments, operations, acts, functions, or events can be performedconcurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing, interruptprocessing, or multiple processors or processor cores or on otherparallel architectures, rather than sequentially.

Systems and modules described herein may comprise software, firmware,hardware, or any combination(s) of software, firmware, or hardwaresuitable for the purposes described. Software and other modules mayreside and execute on servers, workstations, personal computers,computerized tablets, PDAs, and other computing devices suitable for thepurposes described herein. Software and other modules may be accessiblevia local computer memory, via a network, via a browser, or via othermeans suitable for the purposes described herein. Data structuresdescribed herein may comprise computer files, variables, programmingarrays, programming structures, or any electronic information storageschemes or methods, or any combinations thereof, suitable for thepurposes described herein. User interface elements described herein maycomprise elements from graphical user interfaces, interactive voiceresponse, command line interfaces, and other suitable interfaces.

Further, processing of the various components of the illustrated systemscan be distributed across multiple machines, networks, and othercomputing resources. Two or more components of a system can be combinedinto fewer components. Various components of the illustrated systems canbe implemented in one or more virtual machines, rather than in dedicatedcomputer hardware systems and/or computing devices. Likewise, the datarepositories shown can represent physical and/or logical data storage,including, e.g., storage area networks or other distributed storagesystems. Moreover, in some embodiments the connections between thecomponents shown represent possible paths of data flow, rather thanactual connections between hardware. While some examples of possibleconnections are shown, any of the subset of the components shown cancommunicate with any other subset of components in variousimplementations.

Embodiments are also described above with reference to flow chartillustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) andcomputer program products. Each block of the flow chart illustrationsand/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flow chartillustrations and/or block diagrams, may be implemented by computerprogram instructions. Such instructions may be provided to a processorof a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,specially-equipped computer (e.g., comprising a high-performancedatabase server, a graphics subsystem, etc.) or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor(s) of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing the actsspecified in the flow chart and/or block diagram block or blocks. Thesecomputer program instructions may also be stored in a non-transitorycomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to operate in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the acts specified in the flow chart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also beloaded to a computing device or other programmable data processingapparatus to cause operations to be performed on the computing device orother programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented processsuch that the instructions which execute on the computing device orother programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the actsspecified in the flow chart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Any patents and applications and other references noted above, includingany that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporatedherein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, ifnecessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the variousreferences described above to provide yet further implementations of theinvention. These and other changes can be made to the invention in lightof the above Detailed Description. While the above description describescertain examples of the invention, and describes the best modecontemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, theinvention can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may varyconsiderably in its specific implementation, while still beingencompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above,particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspectsof the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology isbeing redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics,features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology isassociated. In general, the terms used in the following claims shouldnot be construed to limit the invention to the specific examplesdisclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Descriptionsection explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope ofthe invention encompasses not only the disclosed examples, but also allequivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under theclaims.

To reduce the number of claims, certain aspects of the invention arepresented below in certain claim forms, but the applicant contemplatesother aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. Forexample, while only one aspect of the invention is recited as ameans-plus-function claim under 35 U.S.C sec. 112(f) (AIA), otheraspects may likewise be embodied as a means-plus-function claim, or inother forms, such as being embodied in a computer-readable medium. Anyclaims intended to be treated under 35 U.S.C. §112(f) will begin withthe words “means for,” but use of the term “for” in any other context isnot intended to invoke treatment under 35 U.S.C. §112(f). Accordingly,the applicant reserves the right to pursue additional claims afterfiling this application, in either this application or in a continuingapplication.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for dynamically managing storage fornetwork shares configured in a file server, the method comprising:receiving, by the file server from a client computing device, a writerequest in reference to a first file, wherein the write requestdesignates a first network share configured in the file server as astorage destination for the write request; identifying, by a cachemanager that executes on the file server, one or more storage volumesconfigured in the file server that are associated with the first networkshare, wherein each of the one or more storage volumes comprises arespective first-network-share-specific folder that stores data for thefirst network share and only for the first network share, therebyassociating each of the one or more storage volumes with the firstnetwork share; if a first storage volume of the one or more storagevolumes that are associated with the first network share comprisessufficient storage space to store a first portion of the first file,storing, by the cache manager in response to the write request, thefirst portion of the first file to the respectivefirst-network-share-specific folder in the first storage volume; and ifthe first storage volume of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share lacks sufficient storage spacefor the first portion of the first file, (a) identifying by the cachemanager a second storage volume of the one or more storage volumes thatare associated with the first network share, which second storage volumecomprises sufficient storage space for the first portion of the firstfile, and (b) regardless of whether other portions of the first file arestored in the same second storage volume, storing, by the cache managerin response to the write request, the first portion of the first file tothe respective first-network-share-specific folder in the identifiedsecond storage volume.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: ifnone of the one or more storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space for the firstportion of the first file, dynamically expanding the amount of storageavailable for the first network share on the file server by: (i)identifying by the cache manager a third storage volume configured inthe file server, wherein the third storage volume comprises sufficientstorage space for the first portion of the first file, (ii) configuringby the cache manager in the third storage volume afirst-network-share-specific folder for storing data for the firstnetwork share and only for the first network share, thereby associatingthe third storage volume with the first network share, and (iii)storing, by the cache manager in response to the write request, thefirst portion of the first file to the first-network-share-specificfolder configured in the third storage volume.
 3. The method of claim 1further comprising: if none of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprise sufficient storagespace for the first portion of the first file and no additional storagevolumes are available in the file server, (A) freeing up storage spacefor the first network share by pruning data, by the cache manager, fromone or more first-network-share-specific folders configured in the oneor more storage volumes that are associated with the first networkshare, wherein only data that has been previously backed up from thefile server into secondary copies can be pruned to free up storage spacefor the first network share, and (B) after the pruning, storing, by thecache manager in response to the write request, the first portion of thefirst file to a first-network-share-specific folder in one of the one ormore storage volumes that are associated with the first network share.4. The method of claim 3 wherein the pruning is also based on an age ofthe data that has been previously backed up.
 5. The method of claim 3wherein the pruning is also based on a size of a file that has beenpreviously backed up.
 6. The method of claim 3 wherein the amount ofdata that is pruned to free up storage space for the first network shareis sufficient to reach an administrable threshold.
 7. The method ofclaim 3 wherein criteria for pruning the data that has been previouslybacked up are administrable via a storage manager that is incommunication with the file server.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein,for storage to the first network share on the file server, the firstfile is divided into a plurality of portions including the firstportion, and wherein any given portion of the first file is stored to afirst-network-share-specific folder configured on a respective one ofthe one or more storage volumes that are associated with the firstnetwork share, independently of whether another portion of the firstfile is also stored to the same one of the one or more storage volumesthat are associated with the first network share, as determined by thecache manager.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein whether sufficientstorage space is available to store the first portion of the first fileis determined by the cache manager based on one or more administrablethresholds.
 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising: for storing asecond portion of the first file in response to the write request,identifying by the cache manager a storage volume of the one or morestorage volumes that are associated with the first network share, basedat least in part on whether the identified storage volume comprisessufficient storage space for the second portion of the first fileregardless of whether the first portion of the first file is stored inthe same storage volume.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the receivingof the write request is performed by a protocol handler executing on thefile server; and further comprising: transmitting, by the protocolhandler, the write request to a module that executes on the file server,wherein the module is associated with the first network share and is incommunication with the cache manager, which is also associated with thefirst network share; dividing, by the module, the first file into aplurality of portions including the first portion; and transmitting, bythe module, each portion of the plurality of portions to the cachemanager associated with the first network share.
 12. The method of claim1 wherein the cache manager associated with the first network sharemaintains an index of which portion of the first file is stored in whichstorage volume of the one or more storage volumes associated with thefirst network share.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein the cache managerassociated with the first network share retains information about whichportion of the first file is stored in which storage volume of the oneor more storage volumes associated with the first network share.
 14. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: on passing an administrativetimeout interval, creating an entry for the first file in a backup queuethat is associated with the first network share, wherein files enteredin the backup queue are to be backed up into secondary copies stored ina secondary storage device distinct from the file server.
 15. A systemfor dynamically managing storage for network shares configured in a fileserver, the system comprising: a file server in communication with afirst client computing device, wherein the file server comprises aplurality of storage volumes; a secondary storage device incommunication with the file server; wherein the file server isconfigured to: receive from the client computing device, a write requestin reference to a first file, wherein the write request designates afirst network share configured in the file server as a storagedestination for the write request; execute a cache manager that isconfigured to identify one or more storage volumes configured in thefile server that are associated with the first network share, whereineach of the one or more storage volumes comprises a respectivefirst-network-share-specific folder that stores data for the firstnetwork share and only for the first network share, thereby associatingeach of the one or more storage volumes with the first network share; ifa first storage volume of the one or more storage volumes that areassociated with the first network share comprises sufficient storagespace to store a first portion of the first file, the cache manager isconfigured to store the first portion of the first file to therespective first-network-share-specific folder in the first storagevolume in response to the write request; if all of the one or morestorage volumes that are associated with the first network share lacksufficient storage space to store the first portion of the first file,the cache manager is configured to dynamically expand the amount ofstorage available for the first network share on the file server by: (i)identifying a second storage volume configured in the file server,wherein the second storage volume comprises sufficient storage space forthe first portion of the first file, and (ii) configuring in the secondstorage volume a first-network-share-specific folder for storing datafor the first network share and only for the first network share,thereby associating the second storage volume with the first networkshare, and (iii) storing, in response to the write request, the firstportion of the first file to the first-network-share-specific folderconfigured in the second storage volume to dynamically expand the amountof storage available for the first network share on the file server. 16.The system of claim 15 wherein if the first storage volume of the one ormore storage volumes that are associated with the first network sharelacks sufficient storage space for the first portion of the first file,the cache manager is configured to: (a) identify a third storage volumeof the one or more storage volumes that are associated with the firstnetwork share, which third volume comprises sufficient storage space forthe first portion of the first file, and (b) regardless of whether otherportions of the first file are stored to the same third storage volume,store, in response to the write request, the first portion of the firstfile to the respective first-network-share-specific folder in theidentified third storage volume.
 17. The system of claim 15 wherein ifnone of the one or more storage volumes that are associated with thefirst network share comprise sufficient storage space for the firstportion of the first file and no additional storage volumes areavailable in the file server to dynamically expand the amount of storageavailable for the first network share, the cache manager is configuredto: (A) free up storage space for the first network share by pruningdata from one or more first-network-share-specific folders configured inthe one or more storage volumes that are associated with the firstnetwork share, wherein only data that has been previously backed up fromthe file server to the secondary storage device can be pruned to free upstorage space for the first network share, and (B) after the pruning,store, in response to the write request, the first portion of the firstfile to a first-network-share-specific folder in one of the one or morestorage volumes that are associated with the first network share. 18.The system of claim 15 wherein the file server is further configured to,on passing an administrative timeout interval, create an entry for thefirst file in a backup queue that is associated with a backup interfacemodule that is associated with the first network share, wherein thebackup interface also executes on the file server and is configured toreceive from a storage manager one or more instructions to generate atleast one secondary copy of the first file; wherein the backup interfacemodule is further configured to generate, in conjunction with a mediaagent, a secondary copy of the first file based on the one or moreinstructions received from the storage manager; and wherein the mediaagent is configured to store the generated secondary copy of the firstfile to a secondary storage device and to report metadata about thesecondary copy to at least one of an index server in communication withthe file server, and the storage manager.
 19. The system of claim 15wherein the file server is further configured to: receive from a clientcomputing device, a second write request in reference to a second file,wherein the write request designates a second network share configuredin the file server as a storage destination for the second writerequest; identifying, by a second cache manager that executes on thefile server, second one or more storage volumes configured in the fileserver that are associated with the second network share, wherein eachof the second one or more storage volumes comprises a respectivesecond-network-share-specific folder that stores data for the secondnetwork share and only for the second network share, wherein at leastone of the second one or more storage volumes is the same as one of theone or more storage volumes associated with the first network share, andwherein the second cache manager is distinct from and operatesindependently of the cache manager that operates in reference to thefirst network share; and if one of the second one or more storagevolumes associated with the second network share comprises sufficientstorage space for a first portion of the second file, store the firstportion of the second file thereto by the second cache manager inresponse to the second write request, regardless of whether any data forthe first network share is stored on the same one of the second one ormore storage volumes.
 20. The system of claim 19 further comprising: ifall of the second one or more storage volumes that are associated withthe second network share lack sufficient storage space for the firstportion of the second file, the second cache manager is configured todynamically expand the amount of storage available for the secondnetwork share on the file server by: (i) identifying a fourth storagevolume configured in the file server, wherein the fourth storage volumecomprises sufficient storage space for the first portion of the secondfile regardless of whether any data for the first network share isstored in the fourth storage volume, (ii) configuring in the fourthstorage volume a second-network-share-specific folder for storing datafor the second network share and only for the second network share,thereby associating the fourth storage volume with the second networkshare, and (iii) storing, in response to the second write request, thefirst portion of the second file to the second-network-share-specificfolder configured in the fourth storage volume to dynamically expand theamount of storage available for the second network share on the fileserver.